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?

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Guest: Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Harry Stott and Edward Drummond.

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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.

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