Russky Island

This article is about "Russky Island" off Vladivostok in Peter the Great Gulf. For the island in the Nordenskiöld Archipelago, see Russky Island (Kara Sea).

A view of the beach at Rynda Bay, Russky Island (2008).

Russky Island (red)

Topographic map of the island

Russky Island (Russian: о́стров Ру́сский, lit. Russian island) is a Russian island off Vladivostok, in the Peter the Great Gulf, Sea of Japan. It is located about 9,334 kilometres east of Moscow. The Eastern Bosphorus separates the island from the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula.

In 1992, four soldiers serving in the island's isolated garrison starved to death and dozens of others were hospitalized suffering from starvation. Their commanders had failed to send them rations for months and the matter became a national scandal [1].

The British daily, The Guardian reported on January 31, 2007 that President Vladimir Putin was formulating plans to develop the island as a large scale tourist resort. The plan was reported as a response to growing Chinese economic power in the region and the fear of possible Chinese economic hegemony.

On September 3, 2008 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an order for the construction of a bridge between Russky Island and Vladivostok. When completed it will be the cable-stayed bridge with the longest span in the world, with 1104 meters. About $US6 billion has been set aside for the development of the island and Vladivostok in preparation for the 2012 APEC summit, which is to be held on Russky Island.[2]

The construction of a new campus for Far Eastern Federal University will provide facilities for the 2012 APEC conference. Designed by US-based architecture and planning firm KlingStubbins, the campus will provide 700,000 SF of classroom space for humanities and sciences, as well as residences for approximately 11,000 students and faculty. Workers on the site have protested over living conditions.[3]

Plans for the construction of the Russian president's Far-Eastern federal residence in Boyarin Bay were approved by the APEC summit.

History

By 1889, Russky Island, with its Fort Pospelov, formed part of the defences of the fortress city of Vladivostok as developed by Colonel K. I. Velichko. Over several years, the initial temporary wooden structures were replaced by stone.

Adjacent islands

Eastern Bosphorus Strait and construction site of Russki Island Bridge

• Off the southwestern shore of Russky Island lie the following islands: Popov Island (7 km long, 4.3 km wide), Reyneke Island (3.4 km across) and Rikord Island (4.1 km long and less than 2 km wide). There are many small islets close to them.

• The Eugénie de Montijo Archipelago (Arkhipelag 42°47′N 131°30′E is a cluster of smaller islands and islets that extends further to the southwest for about 40 Km.

External links

• Russia Close-Up: Primorsky's forgotten island from Russia Today