Monthly Highlights from the Russian Arctic, October 2024
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
News
Publish date: October 14, 1997
Written by: Igor Kudrik
News
In the middle of July the Russian government promised to cover all its salary debts to the army by September this year, allocating 800 million USD for this purpose. In this context, the Russian President signed a special decree no.690, guaranteeing the pay-back.
By September most of the salary debt to the Navy was paid back. Somehow, the Naval repair yards slipped from the list.
On October 1, the employees of Naval Repair Yard no. 82 on the Kola Peninsula ran a blockage of an automobile road, demanding their salaries. The labour union disclaimed responsibility for further actions a few days later. Similarily tense situations developed at Naval Repair yards Shkval in Polyarny, no.82 in Safonovo and Sevmorput in Murmansk. All these yards are located on the Kola Peninsula. At Sevmorput some 70% of the workers are at stand by, having nothing to do. At the last meeting of the labour union there were proposals to block traffic in the Kola bay, in order to draw the authorities’ attention to the situation.
The last promise which came from Moscow was to cover the salary debts to the Naval yards by October 15. Prior to that the leaders of the yard labour unions forwarded letters to the Prosecutors office in Murmansk County, in which they disclaim responsibility for possible protest actions.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.
Russia is formally withdrawing from a landmark environmental agreement that channeled billions in international funding to secure the Soviet nuclear legacy, leaving undone some of the most radioactively dangerous projects and burning one more bridge of potential cooperation with the West.