Russia's prime minister has instructed the state nuclear corporation Rosatom to draw up a long-term plan for the development of the country's nuclear-powered ice-breaker fleet, a spokesman said on Thursday according to RIA Novosti.
Vladimir Putin told Rosatom head Sergei Kiriyenko the plan should cover a period of more than 15 years.
He added that the plan should take into account Russia's development program for the Arctic, now that the nuclear ice-breaker fleet has moved under Rosatom's control.
Kiriyenko briefed the prime minister on the implementation of a long-term development plan for the sector, assuring him that all of the 2008 targets would be met.
Russia has undertaken two Arctic expeditions - to the Mendeleyev underwater chain in 2005 and to the Lomonosov ridge last summer - to support Russian territorial claims to the region.
Moscow said earlier it would submit documentary evidence to the UN on the external boundaries of the Russian Federation's territorial shelf in 2009.