# Why Svalbard could be in Putin’s sights

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954/why-svalbard-could-be-in-putin-s-sights
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954/why-svalbard-could-be-in-putin-s-sights.md
Podcast: [The Story](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954)
Published: 2026-05-18T00:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/storiesofourtimes/episodes/why-svalbard-could-be-in-putins-sights
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/storiesofourtimes/e/6a0482c79ea03fc75febc384/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-story-26954/episodes/why-svalbard-could-be-in-putin-s-sights
Duration seconds: 1654

## Resource

The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is home to a Russian settlement where signs are in cyrillic and inhabitants pay for their groceries in rubles. It’s also at the heart of the scramble between global powers for resources, so as the Arctic sea ice melts opening up the region, could Svalbard become the next geopolitical flashpoint? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Harry Stott and Edward Drummond. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Polar bears, spy stations and Lenin: life on the Norwegian island in Putin’s sights Clips: Forces News, Russia 1. Photo: Jack Hill/The Times. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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