In the northernmost point of Russia, on the archipelago of Franz Josef Land, a unique military facility "Arctic Shamrock" is being built. No one has ever built military installations of this magnitude so close to North Pole. Only Russian people are capable of this!-)

© The post contains personal pictures and photographs of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Arctic Shamrock is currently the only capital construction facility in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude.

Alexandra Land is an island with an area of ​​1130 square kilometers, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. During World War II, a German weather station and a submarine base were located on the island.

The relevance of Alexandra Land as a military base has increased significantly after the creation in December 2014 of the Joint Strategic Command "North", designed to comprehensively ensure the security of the Russian Arctic region. The three main tasks of this security are the defense of the shelf of the Arctic seas, the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage.

The administrative and residential complex "Arctic Shamrock" is a five-story shamrock, painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor, between the rays of which there are three ellipsoids - an administrative block, a block Catering, as well as a cultural and leisure center combined with a medical service unit.

The Arctic Shamrock is the second complex of a closed cycle being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic. The first to be built at the 75th degree of northern latitude was the Northern Clover AJC on Kotelny Island of the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago.

In the center of the trefoil there is an atrium - a multi-light space, illuminated through the glazing in the roof and stained-glass windows located in the side walls. Above the central support of the atrium there is an observation deck, protected by translucent structures, which allows visual observation of the main objects of military infrastructure.

In fact, this is a complex for life and work, equal in autonomy to space station. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties by a group of 150 people for a year and a half.

The total area of ​​the complex is more than 14 thousand square meters.

The residential block in the "Arctic Trefoil" consists of modules for one, two and three people.

Dining room

More than 800 people work at the construction site. The construction of the Arctic Shamrock is carried out using innovative and energy-efficient technologies that minimize energy consumption.

The work is carried out by the legendary enterprise - Spetsstroy of Russia.

The complex is designed in such a way that such facilities as a power unit, boiler house, power plants, treatment facilities, warehouses and storage facilities are connected by heated passages, which means that the military personnel will not need to go out in the cold, which here reaches minus 52 degrees.

Roads have been paved on the island, a coastal pumping station has been built and is functioning, which makes it possible to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.

The most north point Russia's air defense units are based on the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

many photos

The end of the world. Alexandra Land Island. It takes about 4 hours to get here by military transport plane. Just a year ago, the guards of the sky took up combat duty in this Arctic region.

All this time, the personnel lives and serves in a temporary military camp.

These are small modular structures on piles, they are adjacent to technical rooms, boxes for military equipment, dining room.

In parallel, a large construction site is going on on the Arctic island all year round. A modern three-storey administrative and residential complex of a closed cycle is being erected, with a total area of ​​more than 14,000 square meters.

The construction of the Arctic Shamrock complex on the Franz Josef Land archipelago is nearing completion. The construction readiness of the Arctic Shamrock administrative and housing complex, which is being built in the interests of developing the military infrastructure of the Northern Fleet in the Arctic on the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, is approaching 97 percent. The overall readiness of all facilities under construction on the island has exceeded 60 percent.

The administrative and housing complex "Arctic Trefoil" is currently the only capital construction project in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude. To the south, at the 75th degree of latitude, on the island of Kotelny of the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands, Spetsstroy of Russia is building the Northern Clover complex.

The area of ​​the "Arctic Shamrock" is more than 14 thousand square meters. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties by a group of 150 people for a year and a half.

Stocks for such a period make it possible to make warehouses for fuels and lubricants, food and clothing items. During the construction of the facility, innovative and energy-efficient technologies are used to minimize energy consumption. For the first time, the complex used the principle of creating a technical floor, which will allow you to comfortably service all communications, including in cold weather.

The infrastructure is solid, although it looks compact: a power unit consisting of a boiler house and a power plant, complexes of water treatment and sewerage facilities, a separate complex for the disposal of household waste;

garages for storage and maintenance of equipment, various warehouses and storage facilities;

Warm transitions will function between all infrastructure facilities, protecting personnel from the effects of the external environment and additionally saving heat. For those who serve here, this is of fundamental importance. The climate on the island is typically arctic: in winter, the thermometer drops below 50 degrees, and only two weeks a year, in July it rises to +1. Therefore, the main emphasis is on energy-saving technologies and thermal insulation.

Paved roads on the island

a coastal pumping station has been built and is operating, which makes it possible to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.

In connection with the increase in the volume of construction, it was decided to build up Spetsstroy's own forces in the Arctic region and open two separate sites. AJK "Arctic Shamrock" is the second unique complex of a closed cycle, being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic.

In particular, two new sections of the Main Directorate of Engineering Works No. 2 in the Arctic have already begun work - a separate subdivision "Plot No. 11" at Cape Schmidt and "Plot No. 12" in the village of Ushakovskoye of Chukotsky autonomous region. Currently, at the construction sites of Spetsstroy of Russia in the Arctic zone Russian Federation 1,595 employees work, 337 pieces of equipment are used.

Acting Head of the Main Directorate of Engineering Works No. 2 Oleg Sirazetdinov noted: “The work is being carried out in the most difficult climatic conditions: squally wind, blizzard, arctic frosts. Due to the remoteness of objects on the island part of the Arctic in the conditions of the tundra, for the construction of structures, absolutely everything is imported from the mainland along the Northern Sea Route. Delivery is possible only during the summer navigation period, which is four months a year. Last year, 33 thousand tons of building materials, equipment, inert materials and machinery were delivered to the construction sites of Spetsstroy of Russia in the Arctic zone for construction and installation work. And in the first half of 2015, 57,680 tons of building materials were already delivered and 24,179 tons of cargo were also prepared in ports for shipment.”

Next, we will talk about how the construction of the unique military facility “Arctic Shamrock”, which is located on Franz Josef Land, is progressing. The uniqueness of this facility lies in the fact that a military facility of this scale is being built for the first time so close to the North Pole.

The Arctic Shamrock is currently the only capital construction facility in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude.

Alexandra Land is an island with an area of ​​1130 square kilometers, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. During World War II, a German weather station and a submarine base were located on the island.

The relevance of Alexandra Land as a military base has increased significantly after the creation in December 2014 of the Joint Strategic Command "North", designed to comprehensively ensure the security of the Russian Arctic region. The three main tasks of this security are the defense of the shelf of the Arctic seas, the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage.

The administrative and residential complex "Arctic Shamrock" is a five-story shamrock painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor, between the rays of which there are three ellipsoids - an administrative block, a public catering block, as well as a cultural and leisure center combined with a medical service block.

The Arctic Shamrock is the second complex of a closed cycle being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic. The first to be built at the 75th degree of northern latitude was the Northern Clover AJC on Kotelny Island of the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago.

In the center of the trefoil there is an atrium - a multi-light space, illuminated through the glazing in the roof and stained-glass windows located in the side walls. Above the central support of the atrium there is an observation deck, protected by translucent structures, which allows visual observation of the main objects of military infrastructure.

In fact, this is a complex for life and work, equal in autonomy to a space station. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties by a group of 150 people for a year and a half.

The total area of ​​the complex is more than 14 thousand square meters.

The residential block in the "Arctic Trefoil" consists of modules for one, two and three people.

Dining room

More than 800 people work at the construction site. The construction of the Arctic Shamrock is carried out using innovative and energy-efficient technologies that minimize energy consumption.

The work is carried out by the legendary enterprise - Spetsstroy of Russia. The work is carried out in the most difficult climatic conditions: squally wind, snowstorm, arctic frosts. For the construction of structures, absolutely everything is imported from the mainland along the Northern Sea Route. Delivery is possible only during the summer navigation period - these are four months a year.

The complex is designed in such a way that such facilities as a power unit, a boiler house, power plants, treatment facilities, warehouses and storage facilities are connected by heated passages, which means that military personnel will not need to go out in the cold, which here reaches minus 52 degrees.

Roads have been paved on the island, a coastal pumping station has been built and is functioning, which makes it possible to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.

This is one of the five garrisons that are now being built in the northern latitudes. The complex on Franz Josef Land is Russia's northernmost outpost in the Arctic.

Similar towns are planned to be built along the entire northern border of Russia.

The authorities of Ecuador have deprived Julian Assange of asylum in the London embassy. The founder of WikiLeaks is detained by the British police, and this has already been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Ecuador. Why is Assange being avenged and what awaits him?

Julian Assange, a programmer and journalist from Australia, became widely known after the WikiLeaks website he founded published secret documents from the US State Department, as well as materials related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

But it was quite difficult to find out who the policemen, supporting by the arms, were taking out of the building. Assange grew a beard and did not look at all like the energetic man that he had so far presented in photographs.

According to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Assange's asylum was denied because of his repeated violations of international conventions.

He is expected to remain at a police station in central London until he appears before Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Why the President of Ecuador is accused of betrayal

Former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa called the decision of the current government the biggest betrayal in the history of the country. "What he (Moreno. - Approx. ed.) did is a crime that humanity will never forget," Correa said.

London, on the contrary, thanked Moreno. The British Foreign Office believes that justice has prevailed. The representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, has a different opinion. "The hand of 'democracy' is squeezing the throat of freedom," she said. The Kremlin expressed the hope that the rights of the arrested person would be respected.

Ecuador harbored Assange because the former president was center-left, critical of U.S. policy, and welcomed WikiLeaks' release of classified documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even before the Internet activist needed asylum, he managed to get to know Correa personally: he interviewed him for the Russia Today channel.

However, in 2017, the government in Ecuador changed, the country headed for rapprochement with the United States. The new president called Assange "a stone in the shoe" and immediately made it clear that his stay on the territory of the embassy would not be delayed.

According to Correa, the moment of truth came at the end of June last year, when US Vice President Michael Pence arrived in Ecuador on a visit. Then everything was decided. “You can be sure: Lenin is just a hypocrite. He has already agreed with the Americans about the fate of Assange. And now he is trying to make us swallow the pill, saying that Ecuador allegedly continues the dialogue,” Correa said in an interview with Russia Today.

How Assange made new enemies

The day before the arrest Chief Editor WikiLeaks Kristin Hrafnsson said that Assange was under total surveillance. "WikiLeaks uncovered a massive spy operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy," he said. According to him, cameras and voice recorders were placed around Assange, and the information received was transmitted to the administration of Donald Trump.

Hrafnsson specified that Assange was going to be expelled from the embassy a week earlier. This did not happen only because WikiLeaks made public this information. A high-ranking source told the portal about the plans of the Ecuadorian authorities, but the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, Jose Valencia, denied the rumors.

Assange's expulsion was preceded by a corruption scandal involving Moreno. In February, WikiLeaks published the INA Papers package, which traced the operations of the offshore company INA Investment, founded by the brother of the Ecuadorian leader. In Quito, they said that this was a plot by Assange with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former head of Ecuador Rafael Correa to overthrow Moreno.

In early April, Moreno complained about Assange's behavior in Ecuador's London mission. “We have to protect the life of Mr. Assange, but he has already crossed all the lines in terms of violating the agreement that we came to with him,” the president said. “This does not mean that he cannot speak freely, but he cannot lie and hack ". At the same time, back in February last year, it became known that Assange at the embassy was deprived of the opportunity to interact with outside world, in particular, he was turned off access to the Internet.

Why Sweden stopped persecuting Assange

At the end of last year, Western media, citing sources, reported that Assange would be charged in the United States. This was never officially confirmed, but it was precisely because of Washington's position that Assange had to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy six years ago.

Sweden, in May 2017, stopped investigating two cases of rape in which the founder of the portal was accused. Assange demanded compensation from the country's government for legal costs in the amount of 900,000 euros.

Earlier, in 2015, Swedish prosecutors also dropped three charges against him due to the statute of limitations.

Where did the rape investigation lead?

Assange arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2010, hoping to get protection from US authorities. But he was under investigation for rape. In November 2010, a warrant for his arrest was issued in Stockholm, and Assange was put on the international wanted list. He was detained in London, but was soon released on bail of 240 thousand pounds.

In February 2011, a British court ruled to extradite Assange to Sweden, followed by a series of successful appeals for the founder of WikiLeaks.

The British authorities placed him under house arrest before deciding to extradite him to Sweden. Breaking his promise to the authorities, Assange asked for asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​which was granted to him. Since then, the UK has had its own grievances against the founder of WikiLeaks.

What's next for Assange?

The man was re-arrested following a U.S. extradition request for publishing classified documents, police said. At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Alan Duncan said that Assange would not be sent to the United States if he faced the death penalty there.

In the UK, Assange is likely to appear in court on the afternoon of 11 April. This is stated on the WikiLeaks Twitter page. It is likely that the British authorities will seek a maximum sentence of 12 months, the man's mother said, citing his lawyer.

At the same time, the Swedish prosecutor's office is considering reopening the investigation into the rape allegation. Lawyer Elizabeth Massey Fritz, who represented the interests of the victim, will seek this.

The successfully completed sea trials of the new generation aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, as in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, responded with a virtual tour of our military base Arctic Shamrock.

1. The base is built in the shape of a three-beam star and consists of numerous structures special purpose, as well as control points, garages, warehouses and an autonomous power unit. Her hulls are painted in the color of the Russian flag. To date, this is the only structure of this magnitude in the world built at 80 degrees north latitude.

2. The "Arctic Shamrock" is located on the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago and is the second military facility built in the Arctic for the deployment of air defense units of the Russian Northern Fleet. The first was military base Northern Clover on Kotelny Island of the New Siberian Islands archipelago.

3. In addition to the main building of the housing and administrative complex, the base includes a power plant; water treatment plant for 700 tons of water obtained by disinfecting snow; coastal pumping station for fuel replenishment; sewer facilities; heated garages for military equipment. All base buildings are interconnected by heated covered galleries.

4. The construction of the facility has been underway since 2007, but only in 2015 did information about the Arctic Shamrock become available to the press.

5. The only subtle point in this construction was the complete lack of information for what money this base was built. Well, our military doesn’t like people digging into such things, but the Americans are not shy about saying that the aircraft carrier cost them almost 13 billion dollars. I would like to believe that the money was not wasted.

6. The "Arctic Shamrock" is completely autonomous and provides comfortable accommodation for up to 150 military personnel for a year and a half
The total area of ​​the complex is 14 thousand square meters. Look at the photos you will understand. what does the term " cold war"may have a different meaning...