Administrative residential complex arctic shamrock. Base "Arctic Shamrock". An engineering marvel and the most important object. Why the President of Ecuador is accused of betrayal

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A section dedicated to the Arctic Shamrock military base, built on Alexandra Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic, has appeared on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Visitors to the resource are offered a virtual tour of the base to get acquainted with its structure and the life of the military living on it.

"The military infrastructure of the Arctic base consists of numerous special-purpose facilities, as well as command and control centers, garages for military and special equipment, an autonomous power unit, specialized warehouses and storage facilities. The Arctic Shamrock is completely autonomous, and the optimal location of residential and office premises of the military base ensures comfortable living it has up to 150 military personnel for a year and a half," the military department said in a press release.

The 3D tour of the base "visually demonstrates how the rooms for the military personnel, the officer's canteen, the gym and the cinema and concert halls, the atrium, the library, the greenhouse, and the medical unit are equipped and equipped."

"With the help of the Internet application, visitors to the website of the Ministry of Defense will be able to interactively evaluate the convenient and ergonomic modular layout of the base, which allows the Russian military to perform service and combat tasks in the most difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic," the Ministry of Defense emphasizes.

Also, for the convenience of users, the application contains a photo gallery of objects of the residential complex "Arctic Shamrock" with the possibility of downloading in high resolution.

The military reports that the administrative-residential complex (AZhK) "Arctic Shamrock" is the only capital construction facility in the world erected at 80 degrees north latitude. Its area is more than 14 thousand square meters. m. The facility was built using innovative and energy efficient technologies. For the first time, AZhK used the principle of creating a technical floor, where equipment is located that comfortably serves all communications, including in cold weather.

Recall that in early August 2016, the UN Commission began considering Russia's application to expand the boundaries of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. The total area of ​​the territory claimed by Russia is 1 million 191 thousand square meters. km. Following the presentation of the application to the UN in February 2016, it was reported that, as a rule, the commission makes its decision within two to four years.

Meanwhile, Canada and Denmark claim part of the territories in the Russian application. In addition, Norway and the United States also claim various areas of the Arctic Ocean floor.

The interest of states in the northern seas is dictated by the fact that their bowels contain 83 billion tons of standard fuel. Of these, about 80% are in the Barents and Kara Seas.

In addition, the West suspects that Russia is going, as soon as possible, to take advantage of the likely future climate changes that will turn the Arctic ice into an important sea route that provides the country with economic and tactical advantages.

If agreements on the shelf cannot be reached, the Arctic may become a likely place for future wars, the press believes. At the same time, it was noted that the Kremlin is much better prepared for open conflict or familiar competition, since Moscow not only owns more than 40 icebreakers, but also conducts the largest military development of the Arctic since the Cold War.

Russia has more Arctic bases than any other country

As Newsweek magazine wrote, Russia has more Arctic bases than any other country and is building new ones, including 13 new airfields and 10 air defense radar stations in the Arctic, the article says. The United States is in a losing position - Washington does not have such resources, it has only two old icebreakers that are not able to compete with the Arctic technology of the Russian Federation.

At the end of last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the continuation of the strengthening of the group of Russian troops in the Arctic. He also noted that the Russian Federation was forced to increase the number of fighter aircraft sorties by 61% in order to prevent violations of the country's airspace in the Baltic, Black Sea and Arctic.

Against the background of concerns expressed by representatives of Western countries in connection with the strengthening of the military presence of the Russian Federation in the Arctic, the Russian authorities insist on the exclusively peaceful nature of activities in the region and the desire to cooperate with other countries. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier urged not to make the Arctic a place "for the geopolitical games of military blocs."

In March of this year, President Putin visited the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, where he got acquainted with the results of the work to eliminate the environmental damage in the Arctic zone, which he announced back in 2011. After that, he reiterated that Russia proceeds from the fact that there is no potential for conflicts in the Arctic.

"Arctic Shamrock" is the northernmost outpost of the Russian Federation, as well as the northernmost structure of this scale. The uniqueness of this object is observed in everything: from the architectural features of the complex to the latest technologies that ensure the full functioning of the outpost.

Country of the Big Dipper

The country of the Big Dipper - this is how the word "Arctic" can be translated from Greek. This is the northernmost region of the world. The area of ​​the Arctic, depending on the method of territorial division, varies from 21 to 27 million square kilometers.

In 2014, D. Medvedev signed an order to resume development. It meant the opening of thirteen airfields, ten air defense stations, sixteen ports. In addition, drifting and search stations resumed work.

Construction

The construction of the Arctic Shamrock base began in 2007, but information about the stages of construction became publicly available only in 2015. The location of the base was the island of Alexandra Land in the archipelago of Franz Josef Land at the eightieth degree of northern latitude. This is not the only Russian military facility located in the northern latitudes. In the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands on Kotelny Island, there is "Northern Clover" - the first Arctic base in Russia, "Trefoil" became the second.

"Arctic Shamrock" is the northernmost object in the world, during the creation of which not only construction and installation, but also earthworks were used. They consist in the device of buried foundations, load-bearing structures and summing up communications. Despite the fact that the construction has not yet been completed, the base is already inhabited and fulfills its functions. Construction work is carried out by SpetsStroy of Russia. More than eight hundred people are involved in the construction. For the buildings, unique technologies were used that allow the construction of permanent structures in permafrost conditions, and modern materials that effectively retain heat and significantly reduce the cost of maintaining a positive temperature in the base buildings.

Base Description

On the territory of the "Arctic Shamrock" there are several buildings and special structures. The main building of the base is an administrative and residential complex, made in the form of a three-pointed star. This is a five-story building painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor.

Three elliptical buildings were built between the branches of the administrative and residential complex. They housed a kitchen and dining room, leisure facilities, medical and administrative blocks. The outpost also has a boiler house, a power plant, warehouses, garages and other outbuildings. The buildings are interconnected by insulated passages. This is a very important communication that allows you to freely move around the territory of the base even in the most severe frost.

In addition, roads are organized on the territory of the island, and a pumping fuel station is equipped on the shore. All this makes the Arctic Shamrock complex autonomous. The equipment of the base is capable of ensuring a one-time stay of one and a half hundred people for eighteen months.

Unique Features

During the construction of the outpost, the designers encountered certain difficulties due to the remoteness of the complex from the mainland and the very low average annual temperature of the region. Equipment and building materials are delivered to the site by means of transport. However, this is possible only four months a year during summer navigation.

The main feature of the "Arctic Trefoil" is the pile foundation, the presence of which eliminates the risk of buildings. is located in the center of the base, and from it, like rays, there are branches to other buildings and buildings. Moreover, even from space, the "Arctic Shamrock" is able to amaze with the uniqueness of its architectural solutions.

Life on the base

For the garrison guarding the northern borders of the Russian Federation, comfortable conditions have been organized both for work and for leisure. The main building of the base is divided into four blocks - three beams and the central part, which has an atrium with a glass roof, which ensures the flow of daylight into the building. In addition, an observation deck on the roof of the building allows you to observe every point of the base. In the beams of the building are mainly residential premises. From the central part, insulated passages lead to other main buildings.

In addition to the main buildings, the base houses technical and utility facilities that can ensure the autonomy of the facility for a long time.

air defense

Functions of the Shamrock

In addition to its main function - protecting the air borders of the Russian Federation, meteorological research is carried out at the base. The control of the Northern Sea Route is not only military protection, but also ensuring the safe passage of ships in terms of weather conditions. Modern equipment installed at the base helps to analyze the current, ice movement and other factors that can slow down or hinder navigation.

prospects

Until quite recently, only a certain circle of people knew about the existence of the base. In March 2017, Russian President V.V. Putin. The visit was also attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology. One of the purposes of the visit was to visit the outpost. And already in April, a new project was launched on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - a virtual tour of the Arctic Shamrock. Now everyone can get acquainted with the conditions in which the northernmost military unit lives.

As political scientists predict, in the near future a fierce struggle for the Arctic territories will unfold on the world stage. In addition to the five contenders known for a long time, having borders in the Arctic Ocean, other countries began to claim their rights to the northern territories.

The massive melting of glaciers opens up new prospects for the development of northern territories rich in natural resources. In addition, from the point of view of the country's defense, the Arctic is of strategic importance.

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 the 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

Today, the Arctic Shamrock is the only capital construction project in the world that is 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 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.

Now there is even a chapel on the island, where they will take care of the fortress of the spiritual bonds of soldiers and officers.

The Arctic is in the zone of strategic interests of our country, therefore, in April, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu personally inspected Russia's northernmost military base.

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 his arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief 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 this information public. 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 the 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 form of a three-beam star and consists of numerous special-purpose facilities, as well as command posts, 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 the Northern Clover military base on Kotelny Island of the Novosibirsk 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. that the term "cold war" can have a completely different meaning ...