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A Natural Gas Project Off Alaska’s Coast May Be a Russian Ploy for Intel on the Arctic
A proposed liquefied natural gas project off Alaska’s North Slope has raised national security concerns after an investigation found that its UAE backer was being steered by Russia’s Novatek. Contractors collected detailed data about the Beaufort Sea, an area near key US energy infrastructure and military sites, which experts say could have both civilian and military uses.
The surveys mapped the seabed, sampled sediments and studied waves, currents, tides and sea ice. They took place in the second half of 2025, paused for bad weather and resumed in mid-2026, with three vessels involved by late August. Novatek is under partial US sanctions, and experts questioned how the work was permitted to proceed in such a sensitive region.
In short
- A Russia-linked firm steered the UAE company behind Alaska LNG surveys.
- Contractors gathered detailed data from a strategically sensitive Arctic area.
- Experts say the information could have civilian and military uses.