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Military return to Alakurtti

As BarentsObserver earlier reported, the Russian Armed Forces plan to reopen a former military base on the Kola Peninsula. The base is Alakurtti on the border to Finland.

Location

A couple of weeks ago Commander of the Western Military District Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov said that an abandoned military base in Murmansk Oblast is planned to be reestablished in September this year, without mentioning which of the numerous former bases he had in mind.

According to Minister of Property Relations in Murmansk Oblast Oleg Mazunov, the base in question is located in Alakurtti, close to the border to Finland in the southwestern part of the oblast. Different army and navy units have been based here through the years, but since 2009 the town has been home mainly to civilians and border guards.

Murmansk regional administration and the Western Military District are cooperating on preparing housing blocks and infrastructure to house some 3000 soldiers and officers from the Northern Fleet, ITAR-TASS reports.