Remains Of The Old Whaleing Station. Image Credit: iStock via Indian Defence Review
Russia has reportedly uncovered a massive 511 billion barrels of oil beneath the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, almost double Saudi Arabia’s known reserves and more than ten times what the North Sea has produced in half a century.
The news came from documents presented to the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee, reported by Newsweek. Russia claims its seismic surveys are only for scientific research, but many experts aren’t convinced and they point out that the techniques being used look a lot like oil exploration, which makes people worry that this might actually be the first quiet step toward drilling and resource extraction in Antarctica.
This challenges the 1959 Antarctic Treaty which designates Antarctica as a zone of peace and science and bans mining or drilling, though it lacks strong enforcement mechanisms.
The discovery holds special importance because the Weddell Sea exists within British Antarctic Territory which Argentina and Chile also claim but Russia and the United States deny all territorial claims.
The discovery has raised concerns about geopolitical competition because Russia and China continue to block Antarctic protected area expansions which indicates their growing focus on strategic interests.
If confirmed, the reserve could dramatically reshape global energy markets but at the cost of undermining over 60 years of international cooperation and potentially threatening one of the world’s last untouched ecosystems.
Reference: Amiri, A. (2025, August 26). Russia uncovers 511 billion barrels of oil beneath Antarctica: A find that could end the continent’s era of peaceful use. Indian Defence Review. Retrieved from https://indiandefencereview.com/russia-uncovers-511-billion-barrels-of-oil-beneath-antarctica-a-find-that-could-end-the-continents-era-of-peaceful-use/