VLADIVOSTOK, 13 April (BelTA) – I am really glad to have this opportunity to visit Russky Island during my visit to Vladivostok. The decision to develop the island was once taken by the Russian leader personally, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Governor of Russia's Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako on 13 April, BelTA has learned.
“It is, first of all, Vladimir Vladimirovich's merit that I got the honor to visit the edge of our common homeland at the new turn in the development of our relations,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. “The Russian president has repeatedly invited me to visit Russky Island in Vladivostok. I promised him to do it. After all, everything there depended on him. I know how the decision was made. It was a hard one. It depended on him whether the island would be developed and whether it would become iconic. Yesterday we discussed the matter.”
The head of state briefly recounted the story of how the fateful decision regarding the island was made: “At first the decision was taken not to do anything. The project required big funds. Later, however, Vladimir Putin changed his decision. He said: “We must build it. Otherwise we will not be able to build it later.” He told me this story in detail yesterday [during the meeting in Amur Oblast on 12 April].”
“I understand that there are iconic facilities of Putin's era in Russia. I call them monuments erected on the order of the head of state. We all have something that we have created during our work. He is proud of Russky Island. He listed several more facilities to me. Yesterday he showed me another unique project in Amur Oblast [the Vostochny Cosmodrome and its infrastructure] that will make not only Russia proud in the future. It is world-class project. The technology is unmatched in the world,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Russky is an island in Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan. It is located one kilometer from Vladivostok and is a part of Vladivostok city district municipality. It is part of the Eugenie Archipelago. The territory of the island is 97.6 square meters. It is separated from the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, where the main part of Vladivostok is located, by the Eastern Bosphorus.
For a long time the island had the status of a closed territory, where Vladivostok Fortress's fortifications - nearly destroyed by now - and many military units were located.
During the Soviet period there were several military camps here. Russky was a major training base for the entire country's Navy.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the recreational complex Bely Lebed [White Swan] was set up on the island. St. Seraphim Monastery was founded there in 2002.
The Russian Bridge was built in the summer of 2012 to connect the island with the mainland of Vladivostok.
The Far Eastern Federal University is located on Russky Island. For the 2012 APEC summit the university campus was built in Ajax Bay (the educational process began on 1 September 2013).
A tourist and recreational special economic zone was created on the island. In September 2016, the Primorsky Oceanarium (a scientific and educational complex of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was opened on Zhitkov Peninsula.
In 2018, the Federation Council approved a law to create a special administrative district on Russky Island.
