Town Home To Russia’s Key Naval Base Plunges Into Darkness After Winter Storm

The town that hosts Russia’s main naval base was forced to switch to emergency power after severe winter weather damaged ageing electricity infrastructure, cutting power and heating supplies, Russian officials

said.

The closed town of Severomorsk, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Northern Fleet, was among the worst affected.

Located on the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea, Severomorsk is home to Russia’s most important naval command, overseeing the country’s largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines, along with key nuclear warhead stockpiles, missiles and naval repair facilities.

According to officials, electricity supplies were disrupted after several power pylons collapsed under harsh winter conditions.

Andrei Chibis, governor of the Murmansk region, said on Friday night that both Murmansk city and Severomorsk lost power following the collapse of transmission pylons.

Local officials said some homes in Severomorsk were still without power and heating as of Sunday. Temperatures in the region often fall well below freezing during winter.

Local media reported that five pylons collapsed about seven kilometres from Murmansk on January 23. Two of the pylons were almost 60 years old, having been built in 1966, while two others dated back to 1982 and another to 1988.

(With inputs from Reuters)