During the last decade, more than 500 maritime claims have been reported in the Arctic and the political will of the Russian government to develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR) for the exportation of raw materials may lead to a rise of events. However, data on maritime claims in the Russian Arctic are rather missing and not updated which hinders accurate analysis so far. Through an evaluation of maritime claims occurred in the Russian Arctic during the period 2007-2018, this article aims to identify their primary root causes in order to determine if the new Polar Code risk mitigation measures and POLARIS system especially, would have prevented their occurrence. Based on empirical data collection, the study gathers, classifies and maps claims occurred along the NSR till the Polar Code enforcement. The POLARIS System is used for specific case study to determine if it occurred in areas where ice conditions represented a direct risk for the integrity of the vessel. As results, the manuscript provides a categorization of maritime claims in the Russian Arctic in accordance with IMO standards and sheds a light on the type of risk occurrence a ship may face along the NSR. It brings valuable implications for maritime operators who are still expecting historical data for proper risk assessment in the Russian Arctic. Finally, it demonstrates that POLARIS is an appropriate tool for risk mitigation and how stakeholders can implement and share in their common interest best practices and data.