December 20th, 2001: Russia makes their first submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), proposing an extension on their current 200 nautical mile (nm) limit (exclusive economic zone) in the Arctic.
The initial submission was adopted by the CLCS on June 27th, 2002.
The hashed lines in the image below contain the regions Russia claimed as its extended continental shelf (ECS).
August 3rd, 2015: Russia submits a revision to their submission in 2001 to include part of the Eurasian basin (Nansen and Amundsen basins, and the Gakkel Ridge), and the Central American Basin consisting of the Makarov Basin and Complex of Central Arctic Submarine Elevations, which includes the Lomonosov Ridge, Podvodnikov Basin, Mendeleev-Alpha Rise, Mendeleev and Chukchi basins, and Chukchi Plateau.
The 2015 revisions were adopted by the CLCS on February 6th, 2023.
May 23rd, 2019: Canada’s makes their initial submission to the CLCS, proposing an extension on their current 200 nm limit in the Arctic. This is only a partial submission and has not yet been formally presented to the CLCS.
March 31st, 2021: Russia submits two Addenda to their 2015 submission:
- Addendum 1: Gakkel Ridge, Nansen and Amundsen Basins
- Addendum 2: The Amerasian Basin’s part of the Lomonosov Ridge, the Alpha Ridge, the Mendeleev Rise, the Makarov Basin, the Canadian Basin, as well as the Amundsen Basin as a part of the Eurasian Basin.
Both addenda were adopted by the CLCS on February 6th, 2023.
December 19th, 2022: Canada files an addendum to extend its continental shelf claim to include the full length of the Central Arctic Plateau.
February 14th, 2023 & October 30th, 2023 : Russia submits additional revisions to their 2015 submission to include surrounding shelf and ridge lines.
The February revisions were adopted by the CLCS on August 8th, 2023. October’s revisions have yet to be formally presented to the CLCS.
Russia’s claims in the Arctic have continued to grow over the years as scientific exploration expands. As Russia’s boundaries push closer to Canada, the United States, Denmark, and Norway, each country has responded in turn with additional claims of their own – leading to political discourse and concern over Russia’s intentions, and some confusing maps of overlapping boundaries.
Read more from Durham University
All CLCS submission, presentations, adoptions, and documents can be found here.
Canadian Arctic Security 
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