Russian Island

Although Peter the Great Bay had been explored by Europeans since 1852, the island remained without a European name for several years. It was given this name by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count N. N. Muravyov-Amursky, in 1859. There are several versions of the origin of the name. According to one, the island was named Russky in honor of Russia. According to another version, the name arose later and simply duplicates the name of Mount Russkaya, named after one of the crew members of the first Russian explorers of the island.
In 1859, the first map was published in Russia, which showed Russky Island for the first time. However, the map showed only its western and northern shores.
A complete survey of the island was conducted by the expedition of Lieutenant Colonel of the Corps of Naval Navigators V. M. Babkin in 1862 during the inventory of Peter the Great Bay. After that, in 1865, a map was published on which the island was fully designated and named Kazakevich Island in honor of the first military governor of the Primorsky Region, Rear Admiral P. V. Kazakevich. Both names were used, but after the Great Patriotic War only one was approved - Russky Island.


In the 1860s, when distributing land for the creation of the appanage department, the manager of its Siberian branch, G. V. Furugelm, recognized Russky Island as the most suitable for organizing agriculture. However, in 1867, the island was not included in the lands of the appanage department.
The development of the island's coastal defense and the deployment of troops led to an increase in the number of civilians. They were engaged in gardening and provided vegetables not only to the island, but also to Vladivostok. Some residents began to serve the military. By the end of the 19th century, the number of civilians on the island reached 236 people, and by 1895 it had increased to 3,000. Local residents were also engaged in the supply of firewood to Vladivostok residents. The first mayor of Vladivostok, Mikhail Fyodorov, rented a propeller-driven boat and organized regular trips to the city.
In 1890, a project for the construction of the Vladivostok Fortress was developed under the leadership of engineer lieutenant colonel K. S. Chernoknizhnikov. In this project, attention was first drawn to the geographical advantages of Russky Island for the defense of Vladivostok. The plan provided for the construction of a fort on Russkaya Mountain and the construction of a canal across the isthmus in the north of the island.
In 1898, a project to build a canal that connected the Eastern Bosphorus Strait with Novik Bay on Russky Island was completed. This event was of great importance for the development of the island, especially during the Russo-Japanese War, when submarines were based in the bay. As a result of the construction, an artificial island was created, which was called Elena.
With the population growth in 1895-1896, a decision was made to build the Vladivostok Fortress Infantry Regiment. The temple was built with the help of donations from the population, but the main financial contribution was made by the contractor of the military department and merchant M. Suvorov. The church was built of wood and could accommodate 400 believers, it was completed in 1897 and consecrated with the participation of the governor of the Primorsky region. In 1909, a cemetery was opened on the island, and in 1916 - a post office.
After the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905, the first house churches appeared on the island, and then stone temples of the Siberian rifle regiments. Only one building of the regimental temple in the village of Podnozh'e has survived from this period.
From 1899 to 1914, when relations with Japan worsened, active construction of the Vladivostok Fortress was carried out on the island. During this period, a cable car was built on Russky Island to deliver goods to the construction sites. This construction left a deep mark on the map of the island. The scale of the project was impressive. By 1915, 6 forts and 27 coastal batteries, powder magazines and ammunition depots, a pier for ships, a mine-sighting (torpedo) station, 4 telephone stations, caponiers and semi-caponiers, artillery workshops, military towns, piers, a brick factory, powerful radio stations were built, tens of kilometers of cables and communication lines were laid, powder and tunnel magazines were equipped. Of the 16 forts on Russky Island, 6 were built, and of the 50 coastal batteries, 27.
Thus, the project to build a canal, a fortress and churches on Russky Island not only contributed to the development of the island, but also gave it uniqueness and originality.
By 1908, the island's population had reached 25,000 people. Construction of the fortress was fully completed in 1922, when Japanese troops, under an agreement concluded with the Soviet government, agreed to leave Primorye on the condition that the fortress be closed.
That same year, the first observation station in Russia was built on the island, which reliably protected Vladivostok from various diseases, such as plague and cholera[14].
Also in 1908, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who was on Russky Island, called the Vladivostok fortress the best prepared, and one of the batteries was even called Grand Duke. From 1913 to 1914, the hero of the Japanese war, General Kornilov, served on the island, where he was "in exile." Also here was located the famous [what for?] disciplinary battalion, which everyone in the country knew about.


During these same years, the future pilot and Soviet aircraft designer Konstantin Kalinin served on the island.
On March 3, 1919, Norwegian naturalist Johan Koren died of Spanish flu in an American Red Cross hospital on Russian Island.[15] Let the text acquire a more unique and original character, so that it seems like it was written by a person.
Occupation of the Russian Far East by troops of Great Britain, the United States of America and Japan
A concentration camp and a base for the occupation forces of Great Britain and the United States were set up on Russky Island. Chinese and Korean workers, who were brought in by the British as cheap labor, were brought in to service the military base. The base on Russky Island existed until October 1922[16].
In 1920, there was a colony of 900 children from St. Petersburg on Russky Island, who between 1918 and 1920 made an amazing journey around the world, which the general public knew almost nothing about until 2005[17]. With a little originality and uniqueness, the text can be rewritten as follows:
Like chapters in a history book, the occupation of the Russian Far East by the British, American and Japanese troops spread its wings on Russky Island. A concentration camp, born of the determination and strength of the occupation forces, rose from the hardening darkness. Under the tutelage of the famous British and American squad, the military base stood, turning the wheel of labor and effort around itself. The true heroes of this story, the Chinese and Korean workers, were drawn to the stream of fate – cheap labor, conquering their ideal destiny.
The occupation era spilled through a time portal, bringing us a small part of what happened on Russky Island between 1920 and 1922. At the heart of this grandiose story was a secret – 900 little Petersburg children who quietly flew through the prism of time and space. They made a full circle around our land, and while the general public remained unaware of this otherworldly saga, it continued on its way, revealing its unique story only in 2005.
The island was a closed territory during the Soviet era, housing the Vladivostok Fortress and many military units. Today, most of them are destroyed. The island housed various military training bases, including a radio engineering school, a mechanics school, a weapons school, a communications school, and a warrant officer school.
Also on the shore of Ostrovnaya Bay was a special unit of the Navy - the 42nd naval reconnaissance point. The Voroshilov battery, equipped with guns of the largest caliber in the USSR - 305 mm, was also located on the island.
During the Great Patriotic War, thousands of sailors and officers serving on the island fought against the Nazi invaders and Japanese militarists. Some of them were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the post-Soviet period, the White Swan health resort and the St. Seraphim Monastery were built on the island. In 2012, the Russian Bridge was built, connecting the island with the mainland of Vladivostok. The island is also home to the Far Eastern Federal University and the Primorsky Oceanarium. A museum and theater complex is currently under construction, which will include branches of a music school, a ballet academy, a secondary comprehensive school, and a boarding school.
In November 2020, traffic on the Russky Bridge was temporarily closed due to icing of the cables after freezing rain. This led to the resumption of ferry services to the island from Pier No. 30, for the first time since 2012.


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