# Who’s putting giant crosses in the Arctic? Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGIF8nFUNQQ Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/LGIF8nFUNQQ Generated: 2026-02-18T13:34:16.805+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The giant Orthodox crosses seen in the Russian Arctic are part of a deliberate, ongoing geopolitical campaign by the Russian Orthodox Church and military structures to assert Russian cultural and spiritual dominion over the Arctic territories, including areas like Novaya Zemlya (a 7.5m cross erected in 2021) and Franz Josef Land (an 8m cross erected in 2023), with the original cross on Svalbard dating back to 1952, all aimed at legitimizing Russia's claim to the region. **Key Points:** - Three large Orthodox crosses have been erected or restored in Russian-claimed Arctic territories: Svalbard (7m cross, original from 1952, restored/re-erected), Franz Josef Land (8m cross in 2023), and Novaya Zemlya (7.5m cross in 2021). - The cross erection ceremonies involve military personnel from the 12th Main Directorate (responsible for nuclear munitions) and representatives from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Geographical Society. - The cross on Novaya Zemlya, which casts a shadow pointing perfectly north, was created around August 12, 2025, imagery date, and its shadow length suggests a height of approximately 7.5 meters. - The cross erected on Svalbard in 2023 was deemed unlawful by the Governor, who required Trust Arktikugol to relocate it to a regulated zone in 2024. - The actions are interpreted by experts like Kari Aga Myklebost as a message to the home audience that Russian settlements are 'holy lands' belonging to the Russian cultural sphere, supporting broader geopolitical ambitions. - The cross found on Svalbard dates back to 1952 and may have served as a navigational aid for Pomor hunters, whose historical presence in the region is being invoked by the current campaign. ![Screenshot at 00:44: The video focuses on an overhead satellite image of the mysterious formation in Novaya Zemlya, identified as a long, thin shadow cast by an Orthodox cross, whose height the narrator calculates using trigonometry.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-00-44.jpg) **Context:** This video investigates a series of large Orthodox crosses appearing in various remote Russian-controlled or claimed Arctic locations, specifically Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land. The investigation is prompted by a Reddit post showing a strangely shaped shadow on Google Earth, which turned out to be one of these crosses. The crosses are being installed or restored as part of a coordinated campaign involving the Russian Orthodox Church (led by Bishop Vladika Iakov) and military/state entities like the 12th Main Directorate and Trust Arktikugol, linking modern Russian presence to historical Pomor activity in the region. ## Detailed Analysis The video investigates a series of large Orthodox crosses appearing in the Russian Arctic, specifically on Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land. The initial mystery began with a user finding a strangely shaped shadow on Google Earth in Novaya Zemlya (73.31669, 54.22313). Through triangulation using the shadow length (12.22m) and the sun's altitude (31.6 degrees) at local noon on August 12, 2025, the narrator estimates the object's height to be 7.5 meters, matching the height of the cross later confirmed to be there. The cross installations are part of a deliberate Russian geopolitical campaign, often involving military personnel (including the 12th Main Directorate responsible for nuclear munitions) and the Russian Orthodox Church. The cross on Svalbard (erected in 2023) was deemed unlawful by the Norwegian Governor, who forced its relocation in 2024. A similar 8-meter cross was erected on Franz Josef Land in 2023. The oldest known cross, found in Svalbard and now in a museum, dates to 1952 and was likely used by Pomor hunters, a historical group whose legacy the current campaign seeks to co-opt to assert that the Arctic is historically and culturally Russian. The presence of these symbols, coupled with Russian military activity (like nuclear testing in Novaya Zemlya and military bases in Franz Josef Land), is framed as asserting Russian dominion over the Arctic and its resources. ### The Arctic Cross Mystery - A strangely shaped shadow on Google Earth in Novaya Zemlya prompts an investigation - The shadow belongs to a 7.5m Orthodox cross erected in 2021 by Russian state/church actors - The cross was initially placed outside the regulated zone in Svalbard (erected 2023) but was relocated in 2024 due to Norwegian government action. ### Geopolitical Context - The cross installations are linked to Russia's 'Russian Arctic' project and aim to assert Russian cultural and spiritual control over the region, bordering NATO territory. ### Key Cross Locations & Heights - Svalbard (7m cross, restored/re-erected), Franz Josef Land (8m cross, erected 2023), Novaya Zemlya (7.5m cross, erected 2021). ### Historical Precedent - Pomor hunters, a Russian seafaring group, left similar Orthodox crosses throughout the Arctic, with one dating to 1552 in Svalbard, providing a historical anchor for the modern campaign. ### Media and Sources - Information was gathered from Reddit posts, The Barents Observer, Russian Ministry of Defense footage, and cooperation from Newspress journalists. ![Screenshot at 00:19: Satellite image showing the distinct, cross-shaped shadow on Novaya Zemlya that sparked the investigation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-00-19.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:51: Archival footage of the Tsar Bomba test, used to illustrate the Russian military/nuclear interest in the Arctic region.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-01-51.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:21: News article from The Barents Observer detailing Bishop Iakov's role in launching a church-building mission at Novaya Zemlya, which serves Russia's 12th Main Directorate \(nuclear munitions\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-02-21.jpg) ![Screenshot at 04:00: Footage showing the 'Z' symbol, a Russian military support icon, displayed alongside religious imagery, linking the cross installations to current military support.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-04-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 08:06: A split screen comparing the visual evidence of the cross ceremony in Pyramiden \(Svalbard\) with its corresponding satellite image, confirming the location.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LGIF8nFUNQQ/00-08-06.jpg)