Arctic Russia

yamal’s nose

popmechanic.ru reports on the arrival of the Yamal ice-breaker, which was busy over the summer, and its arrival in Murmansk, where it is now docked alongside the Arktica - a legendary ice-breaker from Soviet times.  This photograph of the bow of the Yamal published over the summer shows the teeth painted on the front and ‘popmechanic’ reports that this was painted there when children of many different nationalities were being taken to the North Pole from as part of a humanitarian initiative during the 1990s.

Tales associated with the heroic exploits of ice-breakers are legion on the internet (scroll down for the full effect) and show the historical depth of Russia’s relationship with the Arctic.  The ice-breaker Lenin is being turned into a museum in Murmansk.