President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order on the establishment of an interagency Security Council commission on protecting Russia's national interests in the Arctic. The 30-member commission will be chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.

The commission will work out measures to protect Russia's national security and socioeconomic development interests in the Arctic and will coordinate the implementation of these measures by federal, regional and local authorities. It will also analyze the current state and development trends in the international situation, including its military and political aspects, the implementation of Russia's national priorities, and the internal and external national security threats in the Arctic.

Apart from Dmitry Medvedev, the commission will include the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council, the ministers for the development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, emergencies, foreign affairs, defense, science, natural resources, transport and finance, as well as the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Presidential plenipotentiary envoys to the Northwestern, Siberian and Urals federal district, the Foreign Intelligence Service Director, the Deputy Director of Rosatom and Director for the Northern Sea Route Directorate, and the Presidential plenipotentiary envoy to the Far Eastern federal district.