- Russia and its neighbors in NATO have been at odds since Moscow seized Crimea and intervened in Ukraine in 2014.
- Much of that tension has played out the ground in Europe, but NATO is also responding to what it sees as antagonistic behavior by Russia in the waterways around the continent.
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Shrinking ice coverage in the Arctic has draw the attention of NATO, Russia, and other countries to the high north, where the promise of more accessible waterways means potential military and commercial competition.
Since Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea and incursion in Ukraine, however, NATO members have been concerned about Moscow's actions closer to home, and developments in recent weeks indicate the alliance is focusing on securing waterways around Europe, in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas and the eastern Atlantic - all areas that could be contested in a conflict with Russia.
Below, you can see what NATO is being warned about, and what the alliance is and isn't doing to address it.