Why is the Arctic trefoil built? The Russian Ministry of Defense demonstrated the Arctic Trefoil base on Franz Joseph Land (photo). Why is the President of Ecuador accused of treason?

In one of the coldest places on the planet, the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the Russian military has completed the construction of a military base. It is called "Arctic Trefoil", because the shape resembles a flower. The complex is so equipped with everything you need that, if necessary, you can live in it in complete isolation for a whole year and a half.

Since 2007, construction of a secret facility began on the island of Alexandra Land in the Arctic Ocean. Only 10 years later it became known that a Russian military complex called “Arctic Trefoil” was being built here.

The scale of the base is amazing, because construction took place in extreme conditions. But this region contains rich deposits of oil and natural gas. In addition, the island is also the location of the air defense unit of the Northern Fleet.

In total, the base consists of 70 buildings designed to employ 150 people. In the center there is a central building in which the employees will live. On one tier there are single block cabins, and on the other there are two and three-berth cabins. All buildings are connected to each other by passages. In Arctic cold conditions, this is a vital solution. The average January temperature is minus 24 degrees Celsius, but sometimes the thermometer can drop to minus 52 degrees.

An autonomous high-power boiler house maintains heat at the base, and the surrounding snow serves as a source of water. In the event of complete isolation and lack of communication from outside, the resources of the Arctic Trefoil will be enough to provide workers with everything they need for a whole year and a half.

Last Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense posted on its official website a virtual tour of the newest military base, Arctic Trefoil. This object had previously become the topic of news, naturally attracting public attention, but only now everyone was able to get acquainted with its main features, as well as see the unique structures from the inside.

The Arctic Trefoil base, which got its name due to the original shape of the main building, is located on the island of Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. This is the second such facility deployed in last years at such high latitudes. Previously, the Northern Clover base, located on the island, was put into operation. Boiler room of the New Siberian Islands archipelago.

According to some reports, the possibility of building a base on Alexandra Land became a topic of discussion in the middle of the last decade. A few years after this, the final decision was made and preliminary work began. Construction of the first facilities began only a few years ago. To date, most of the structures of the new base have been built and put into operation. The main achievement of the builders was the construction of the housing and administrative complex - the largest and most important facility of the base.

In addition to the housing and administrative complex on the island. Alexandra Land now houses many other buildings and structures for various purposes. In addition, during the construction work and preparation for it, a large number of roads were laid and several positions were equipped for the placement of certain weapons, equipment, etc.

An important feature of construction, which had a corresponding impact on its complexity and duration, was the inability to use building materials mined near construction sites. All necessary resources had to be delivered from the mainland. In addition, all structures and buildings received a pile foundation, the use of which is due to the presence of permafrost. Thus, all base facilities, including a large housing and administrative complex, actually hang above the ground.

Taking into account the local climate, the architects minimized the need to leave the buildings. All main buildings of the base are connected to each other using large number covered insulated passages. Thanks to this, personnel can get to almost any point of the base without going into open spaces. In most cases, the soldier’s path will lie through the housing and administrative complex, located in the center of the base and being its main element. However, all structures have their own exits.

For obvious reasons, greatest interest The housing and administrative complex of the base called the public and specialists. It is the largest building on Franz Josef Land, and also cannot fail to attract attention with its unusual shape. It should also be noted that this building has become the northernmost permanent building in the world. Finally, it was because of this object that the entire base got its name.

All main premises and facilities of the base are located in a common building of unusual architecture with a total area of ​​14 thousand sq.m. The housing and administrative complex is a permanent structure on metal piles, consisting of several main elements. The main one is the central structure of an original shape in plan, built in the form of a three-rayed star. It is because of this feature of the complex that the base received the name “Arctic Trefoil”. In the sectors between the “beams” of the central building there are three other buildings. To obtain the required strength characteristics and to solve some other problems, they are made in the form of spherical domes or truncated ellipsoids. The central and side buildings are connected to each other by transitions. All buildings of the complex are painted in the colors of the Russian flag.

During the construction of the complex, the most modern materials were used to retain heat as efficiently as possible and almost completely eliminate energy loss. This allows you to economically consume the fuel needed to maintain the required conditions. For greater convenience of infrastructure maintenance, the complex has a separate technical floor. It houses all the main elements of energy and other infrastructure. This arrangement of communications greatly simplifies their maintenance and repair.

The central building of the housing and administrative complex, in addition to its unusual shape, has some other interesting features. Thus, in order to avoid the accumulation of large masses of snow, a roof of a special design is used. Each of the “rays” of the body has a gable roof. The ridges of three similar roofs converge in the center of the building, forming its highest point. A large glazed area is provided in the central part of the roof, providing illumination of the atrium during daylight hours. The body is divided into four blocks, designated by the letters “A” to “D”. The first three letters of the alphabet are used to designate “rays”; the letter “G” denotes the central block.

Due to the large angles of inclination of the roof, block “G” has five floors, while other elements of the building are characterized by a lower height and, as a result, reduced useful volumes. All available space on the floors is divided into a large number of rooms of different sizes and for different purposes. Most of the available volumes are allocated for residential premises. In addition, the housing and administrative complex has a billiard room, a table tennis room and a greenhouse. In the central part of the building there is an observation deck from which you can observe the entire territory of the base.

Block “G” has an atrium in its central part. At this point all the corridors of the side blocks, leading to the side platforms, converge. The central vertical support of the atrium serves as a flagpole. At the side walls of the atrium on the ground floor, as the virtual tour shows, there are information stands.

From the side wall connecting blocks “A” and “B” there is a short covered gallery connecting the central building with the administrative block. Like other side elements of the building, this block has the shape of a truncated ellipsoid and is placed on stilts. There are several rows of windows along the perimeter of the curved wall. All available volumes are allocated for various premises for different purposes, etc. On several floors of the administrative block there are command offices, training classrooms and other necessary premises.

Opposite blocks “B” and “C”, the architects placed another round building, dedicated to a medical service block, a cultural and leisure center and property warehouses. The medical block of the base includes a separate doctor’s office, a treatment room, a ward for patients and a dental office. In the same building there is a gym with a variety of sports equipment and an assembly hall that can serve as a cinema. The remaining premises of the block are given over to warehouses for clothing.

The third round building is located between blocks “B” and “A” and is completely dedicated to the task of feeding personnel. It has a kitchen, dining rooms for military personnel, including a separate room for officers, and a food warehouse. The dimensions of the warehouses allow them to accommodate a significant number of supplies, sufficient for the autonomous operation of the entire base for a long time.

With the help of covered passages and galleries, a significant number of other structures for various purposes are connected to the housing and administrative complex. The base has garages and workshops for equipment, warehouses for various purposes, an autonomous power unit with a power plant and boiler room, a water treatment plant, sewerage, etc. To receive fuel and lubricants, a coastal pumping station was built on the island, with the help of which fuel can be pumped directly from tankers to the appropriate warehouses. In addition, a wooden Orthodox chapel was built at the Arctic Trefoil base.

The base infrastructure provides full-fledged service for a garrison of 150 people. Using only its own supplies of food, fuel and clothing available in warehouses, the base can operate normally and solve assigned tasks for 18 months. The only practically unlimited resource of the base is water. It is proposed to extract it by melting snow and then cleaning it. The specifics of the local climate will not leave the base without water.

The main task of the garrison at the Arctic Trefoil base is to provide air defense. Back in 2014, the first air defense formation was deployed on the island of Alexandra Land. During the first few months, soldiers and officers had to be housed in temporary residential buildings and keep equipment in prefabricated garages. To date, permanent structures suitable for long-term operation have been built, which has a positive impact on both the complexity of the service in the special conditions of the Arctic and its results.

The construction of a new base on Franz Josef Land with full-fledged infrastructure is the most important stage in the development of the Arctic grouping of the Russian armed forces. Having commissioned a number of new facilities, the military department received a number of important capabilities that could have a positive impact on various aspects of the defense of the country’s northern borders.

First of all, the emergence of the Arctic Trefoil base with air defense systems led to a strengthening of the grouping of troops in the northern direction. The Arctic is of great interest both to Russia and to many foreign countries, which is why the Russian military needs to take appropriate measures and prepare to protect the interests of the country. The presence of air defense formations in the northern directions makes it possible to protect shipping in the region, and in addition, to a certain extent complicates the work of the naval forces of a potential enemy during a threatened period or in the event of the outbreak of a real conflict.

In addition to protecting the Northern Sea Route from a military point of view, the new base can participate in ensuring navigation in the region. The permanent presence of the garrison on Franz Josef Land makes it possible to conduct meteorological research, study the movement of ice and other factors that directly affect shipping. By collecting and transmitting data, the military will help maritime transport and secure transport ships.

The construction of a new base shows the fundamental possibility of deploying such facilities even in remote areas with difficult conditions. As a result, with the further use of such opportunities, new military facilities may be built on Franz Josef Land and other archipelagos of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Trefoil base is responsible for air defense, but it is possible to deploy facilities for other purposes, with the help of which the army will protect the northern borders from various threats.

In just a few years Russian ministry defense was able to build two new military bases in the Arctic. To date, both garrisons have begun full service and are completing the tasks assigned to them. The military and political leadership of the country have long ago declared the Arctic a zone of special attention, including in the context further development armed forces. In this regard, in the foreseeable future, new objects similar to the “Arctic Trefoil” or “Northern Clover” may appear on certain islands of the northern seas. The most modern ideas and materials were used in the construction of the two newest bases. The construction of subsequent similar facilities will obviously be carried out taking into account further progress. Thus, even more interesting military installations may appear in the Arctic in the future.

Based on materials from sites:
http://mil.ru/
http://rg.ru/
http://ria.ru/
http://tvzvezda.ru/

Virtual tour of the base:
http://mil.ru/files/files/arctic/Arctic.html

Next, we will talk about how the construction of the unique military facility “Arctic Trefoil”, which is located on Franz Josef Land, is progressing. The uniqueness of this structure lies in the fact that for the first time a military facility of this scale is being built so close to North Pole.

“Arctic Trefoil” is currently the only capital construction facility in the world being built at 80 degrees north latitude.

Alexandra Land is an island with an area of ​​1130 sq. km, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. During World War II, the island housed a German weather station and a submarine base.

The relevance of Alexandra Land as a military base increased significantly after the creation of the Joint Strategic Command “North” in December 2014, intended to comprehensively ensure the security of the Arctic region of Russia. 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 Trefoil" is a five-story trefoil, painted in the colors of the Russian tricolor, between the rays of which there are three ellipsoids - the administrative block, the block Catering, as well as a cultural and leisure center combined with a medical care unit.

“Arctic Trefoil” is the second closed-cycle complex being built in the interests of the Northern Fleet in the high-latitude regions of the Arctic. The first residential complex “Northern Clover” was built at 75 degrees north latitude on Kotelny Island in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.

In the center of the trefoil there is an atrium - a multi-light space illuminated through 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 military infrastructure facilities.

In fact, this is a complex for living and working, equal in autonomy to a space station. The autonomy of the complex will ensure comfortable living and performance of official duties for 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

Over 800 people work on construction. The construction of the Arctic Trefoil is carried out using innovative and energy-efficient technologies that minimize energy consumption.

The work is being carried out by the legendary enterprise - Spetsstroy of Russia. The work is being carried out in the most difficult climatic conditions: squally winds, snowstorms, arctic frosts. For the construction of structures, absolutely everything is imported from the mainland along the Northern Sea Route. Delivery is possible only during the summer navigation period - four months a year.

The complex is designed in such a way that facilities such as a power unit, boiler room, power plants, sewage treatment plants, warehouses and storage facilities are connected by heated passages, which means that military personnel will not need to go out into the cold, which here reaches minus 52 degrees.

Roads have been paved on the island, and a coastal pumping station has been built and is operating, allowing it to receive fuel from tankers and supply it to the fuel and lubricants warehouse.

This is one of five garrisons that are currently 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.

ALL PHOTOS

A section dedicated to the Arctic Trefoil 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 personnel living on it.

“The military infrastructure of the Arctic base consists of numerous special-purpose structures, as well as control posts, garages for military and special equipment, an autonomous power unit, specialized warehouses and storage facilities. “Arctic Trefoil” is completely autonomous, and the optimal location of residential and office premises of the military base ensures comfortable living it will have up to 150 military personnel within 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 military personnel, the officer’s canteen, the gym and cinema-concert halls, the atrium, the library, the greenhouse, and the medical block are arranged and equipped.”

“Using the Internet application, visitors to the Ministry of Defense website will be able to interactively evaluate the convenient and ergonomic modular layout of the base, which allows the Russian military to efficiently perform service and combat missions in the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic,” the Ministry of Defense emphasizes.

Also, for the convenience of users, the application contains a photo gallery of the objects of the Arctic Trefoil residential complex with the ability to download in high resolution.

The military reports that the administrative-residential complex (AKhK) "Arctic Trefoil" is the only capital construction facility in the world built 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.

Let us recall that at the beginning of 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, some of the territories in the Russian application are claimed by Canada and Denmark. In addition, Norway and the United States also lay claim to various areas of the Arctic Ocean floor.

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

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

If agreements on the shelf cannot be reached, the Arctic could become a likely location for future wars, the press believes. It was noted that the Kremlin is much better prepared for open conflict or habitual competition, since Moscow not only owns more than 40 icebreakers, but is also conducting the largest military development of the Arctic since the Cold War.

Russia has more Arctic bases than any other country

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

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

Against the backdrop of what was expressed by representatives Western countries Concerns about the strengthening of the Russian military presence in the Arctic, Russian authorities insist on the exclusively peaceful nature of activities in the region and the desire for cooperation with other countries. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously called not to make the Arctic a place “for geopolitical games of military blocs.”

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

The Russian Ministry of Defense responded to the successfully completed sea trials of the new generation aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford with a virtual tour of our Arctic Trefoil military base.

1. The base is built in the shape of a three-pointed star and consists of numerous special-purpose structures, as well as control centers, garages, warehouses and an autonomous power unit. Its hulls are painted in the color of the Russian flag. Today, this is the only structure in the world of this scale built at 80 degrees north latitude.

2. “Arctic Trefoil” 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 in the New Siberian Islands archipelago.

3. In addition to the main building of the housing and administrative complex, the base includes a power plant; a water treatment plant for 700 tons of water obtained by disinfecting snow; shore pumping station for fuel replenishment; sewerage facilities; heated garages for military equipment. All base buildings are connected by heated covered galleries.

4. Construction of the facility has been underway since 2007, but only in 2015 information about the Arctic Trefoil became available to the press.

5. The only subtle point in this construction was the complete lack of information about how much money this base was built for. Well, our military doesn’t like people delving 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. “Arctic Trefoil” 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. If you look at the photo you will understand. what does the term " cold war"may have a completely different meaning...