Life on Nowaya Zemlya is hard in this barren and inhospitable area. The population is concentrated in the towns of Belushja Guba and the neighbouring Rogashevo. In total, about 3,000 people are officially registered. Basically everyone works for the Russian Armed Forces in the barely accessible archipelago . Now, a faster internet connection will make it easier for the population to connect with the Russian mainland and the people at home.
As part of the development of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Arctic troop groups, work is underway to improve the social living conditions of military personnel, civilian personnel and their families. The widest range of problems is currently being solved. Work has thus been completed to create high-speed Internet access in the area of the Novaya Zemlya garrison.
The high speed Internet is made possible by a satellite connection. In a few years, the archipelago could get an even faster connection. A trans-Arctic fibre-optic cable is planned to be laid between Japan and Norway, Russian telecommunications provider MegaFon and Norwegian news platform The Independent Barents Observer reported in August.
The long-awaited high-speed Internet provides a socially important facility for residents. Among them are a school, a kindergarten, an officer’s mess and a military hospital. The headquarters of the Youth Army Department of Arktika will also benefit, thereby increasing the interest and participation of the young generation of the inhabitants of Novaya Zemlya in the educational process. For the inhabitants of the small polar settlement, there will be also considerably more opportunities for culture and leisure.
This was reported by the Ministry of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defence in a publication.
Heiner Kubny, Polarjournal
