Their admission to NATO would further isolate Russia, leaving it the only Arctic country outside the alliance.This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Mounsey, and hosted by Sean RameswaramTranscript at vox.com/todayexplained  Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices