Murmansk

Murmansk is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland. Population: 307,257 (2010 Census), 336,137 (2002 Census), 468,039 (1989 Census). Despite its rapidly declining population, Murmansk remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge (or Arctic Sea Bridge), a sea route linking it to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba. The passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, but Russia has shown interest in it. It is believed that, once developed (along with the Northwest Passage), the bridge will serve as major trade route between Europe and Asia.

At least two cruiser of the Soviet Navy  have borne the name Murmansk, after the city and naval base of Murmansk:

• Soviet Cruiser Murmansk (1944) was the former USS Milwaukee, an Omaha – class cruiser transferred to the USSR in 1944 and decommissioned in 1949.
• Soviet Cruiser Murmansk (1955) was a Sverdlov – class cruiser launched in 1955. She was decommissioned in 1989 and sold for scrapping in 1994, but was wrecked while being towed to the breakers.

Thank you Ksenia for this nice card.