Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the northwestern part of the country, with a total land area of . Its only internal border is the Republic of Karelia to the south, and it is bor ...
is a
federal subject
The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation () or simply as the subjects of the federation (), are the administrative division, constituent entities of Russia, its top-level political division ...
of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, which is located in the northwestern part of the country, occupying mostly the
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...
. The oblast itself was established on May 28, 1938, but some kind of administrative organization of the territory existed here since at least the 13th century. As of the
2002 Census,
Russians
Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
account for the majority of the oblast's population (85.3%, or 760,862 people), with the indigenous Sami constituting only a 0.20% minority (1,769 people).

Since establishing and maintaining the structure of the administrative divisions of the federal subjects is not explicitly specified in the
Constitution of Russia
The Constitution of the Russian Federation () was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993 and enacted on 25 December 1993. The latest significant reform occurred in 2020, marked by extensive amendments that altered various sections ...
as the responsibility of the federal government, this task falls within the scope of the responsibilities of Murmansk Oblast itself.
[The list of the responsibilities of the federal government of the Russian Federation is specified in Article 71 of the Constitution. Article 72 lists the joint responsibilities of the federal government of the Russian Federation and the governments of the federal subjects.] Changes of the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Oblast are authorized by the
Murmansk Oblast Duma
The Murmansk Oblast Duma () is the regional parliament of Murmansk Oblast, a federal subject of Russia. It consists of 32 deputies elected for five-year terms.
The was on 19 September 2021, which elected the seventh convocation.
Elections 20 ...
.
[Law No. 96-01-ZMO]
The oblast's administrative divisions remained largely unchanged from the structure used during the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
era, with the notable exception of ''
selsoviet
A selsoviet (; , ; ) is the shortened name for Selsky soviet, i.e., rural council (; ; ). It has three closely related meanings:
*The administration (''soviet (council), soviet'') of a certain rural area.
*The territorial subdivision administered ...
s''—a low-level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative-territorial divisions had been adopted in January 1998.
Administrative and municipal divisions
Historical background
The territory on which modern Murmansk Oblast is located has been settled by humans since the 3rd millennium BCE,
[''Atlas of Murmansk Oblast'', p. V] and by the end of the 1st millennium CE, it was settled only by the
Sami people
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...
.
[''Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 16] In the 12th century, Russian
Pomors
The Pomors (, ) are an ethnographic group traditionally thought to be descended from Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod) living on the White Sea coasts and nearby regions, with their southern boundary marked by a watershed dividi ...
from the shores of
Onega Bay
The Onega Bay () is located in the Republic of Karelia and Arkhangelsk Oblast in Northwestern Russia, west of the city of Arkhangelsk. It is the southernmost of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Mez ...
and in the lower reaches of the
Northern Dvina River started regular hunting and fishing visits to the area and started
barter trade
In trade, barter (derived from ''bareter'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists usual ...
with the Sami.
They also called the
White Sea
The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
coast of the peninsula
Tersky Coast, or Terskaya Land.
Pomors were soon followed by the
tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...
collectors from the
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
, and the
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...
gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands.
A 1265 treaty of
Yaroslav Yaroslavich with Novgorod mentions
Tre Volost, which continued to be mentioned in other documents until as late as 1471.
Another known administrative divisions in this area was
Kolo Volost, which bordered Tre approximately along the line between
Kildin Island
Kildin (also Kilduin; , North Sami: Gieldasuolu) is a small Russian island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway. Administratively, Kildin belongs to the Murmansk Oblast of the Russian Federation.
Kildin ...
and Turiy
Headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...
of the
Turiy Peninsula.
Kolo Volost laid to the west of that line, while Tre was situated to the east of it.
In the 15th century, Novgorodians started to establish permanent settlements on the Kola Peninsula.
[''Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 18] Administratively, this territory was divided into
Varzuzhskaya and
Umbskaya Volosts, which were governed by a
posadnik
A posadnik (, ) was a representative of the prince in some towns during the times of Kievan Rus', and later the highest-ranking official (mayor) in Novgorod (from 1136) and Pskov (from 1308).
In the early 12th century, Novgorod won the right to ...
from the area of the
Northern Dvina
The Northern Dvina (, ; ) is a river in northern Russia flowing through Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic O ...
.
The Novgorod Republic lost control of both of these ''volosts'' to the
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
after the
Battle of Shelon in 1471,
and the republic itself ceased to exist in 1478 when
Ivan III took the city of Novgorod. All Novgorod territories, including those on the Kola Peninsula, became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
In the second half of the 16th century, King
Frederick II of
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ) is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (includ ...
demanded the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721.
...
to cede the peninsula.
Russia declined, and in order to organize adequate defenses established the position of a ''
voyevoda'', who sat in
Kola unit was the big kola int eh
Kola may refer to:
People
* Koła, a Polish noble family
* Kola (name), people with the given name/surname Kola
* Kola (singer), Ukrainian singer, songwriter and performer of her own songs
* Kola people, Gabonese p ...
, which became an administrative center of the region.
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 19] Newly established
Kolsky Uyezd covered most of the territory of the modern oblast,
and continued to exist well into the 19th century.
In 1854, after having been reduced nearly to ashes as a result of a bombardment by a British ship,
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 22] the town of Kola went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar
Alexander II approved a
State Council opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into
Kemsky Uyezd Kemsky Uyezd (''Ке́мский уе́зд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the western part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Kem, Russia, Kem. In terms of pres ...
.
However, on , 1883 when Tsar
Alexander III approved a new opinion of the State Council, the uyezd was restored, although the territory of the restored uyezd was smaller than its pre-1858 territory.
In 1896,
Alexandrovsk was founded and grew in size so quickly that it was granted town status in 1899; Kolsky Uyezd was renamed
Alexandrovsky on that occasion.
[''Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 24] In 1916, Romanov-na-Murmane (modern
Murmansk
Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
) was founded
and quickly grew to become the largest city on the peninsula.
When the
White movement
The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...
controlled the northwest of Russia in 1918–1920, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was included into
Northern Oblast.
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 26] On February 2, 1920,
Murmansk Governorate was established by the Resolution of the Provisional Government of Northern Oblast; it included the territory of Alexandrovsky Uyezd.
The uyezd, however, was restored in its 1917 borders after Murmansk Governorate was abolished effective February 21, 1920 when the Soviet power was restored on the Kola Peninsula.
In June 1921, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was transformed into
Murmansk Governorate by the Soviet government.
[''Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 28] On August 1, 1927, the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
The All-Russian Central Executive Committee () was (June – November 1917) a permanent body formed by the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (held from June 16 to July 7, 1917 in Petrograd), then became the ...
(VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", according to which Murmansk Governorate was transformed into
Murmansk Okrug (which was divided into six districts) and included into
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...
.
[''Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 34] This arrangement existed until May 28, 1938, when the
okrug
An okrug is a type of administrative division in some Slavic-speaking states. The word ''okrug'' is a loanword in English, alternatively translated as area, district, county, or region.
Etymologically, ''okrug'' literally means ' circuit', der ...
was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with
Kandalakshsky District
Kandalakshsky District () is an administrative district (a raion), one of the six in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.Law #96-01-ZMO As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Kandalakshsky Municipal District.Law #538-01-ZMO It is located in the south ...
of the
Karelian ASSR, and transformed into
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the northwestern part of the country, with a total land area of . Its only internal border is the Republic of Karelia to the south, and it is bor ...
.
By the Decree of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR of September 11, 1938, the administrative center of
Polyarny District Polyarny District () was an administrative division (a district) of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960.
It was established as Alexandrovsky District on A ...
was moved from Murmansk to
Ura-Guba[Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 62] and in December 1938, new
Monchegorsky District was formed.
In September 1939, the rural locality of Polyarnoye was transformed into a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed
Polyarny and the town
Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha () is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, north of the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ( 2002 Census);
Etymology
According to the most common ...
was separated from Kandalakshsky District and elevated to the same status in February 1940.
After the
Winter War
The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
of 1939–1940, the western parts of the
Rybachy and
Sredny Peninsulas were ceded by
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
to the Soviet Union by the
Moscow Peace Treaty
The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...
.
By the July 13, 1940 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, these territories were appended to Polyarny District of Murmansk Oblast.
On July 21, 1945, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union decreed to establish
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District (; ; ; ; ) is an administrative district (raion), one of the six in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.Law #96-01-ZMO As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Pechengsky Municipal District.Law #539-01-ZMO It is located in the north ...
with the administrative center in
Nikel
Nikel (, lit. ''nickel''; , , ) is an types of inhabited localities in Russia, urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Kuets-Yarvi no ...
on the territory of Petsamo ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union as part of the
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...
signed on September 19, 1944 and to include this district as a part of Murmansk Oblast.
In 1947, Finland additionally sold the remaining
Jäniskoski area with its hydroelectric plant, in exchange for Soviet confiscated German investments in Finland. Since then, with the exception of a minor transfer in 1987, the external borders of the oblast remained unchanged.
In August 1948, Kandalakshsky District was abolished and its territory administratively subordinated to the town of Kandalaksha.
In December 1949, when by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Monchegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction, with the former Monchegorsky District's territory passing into its subordination.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union of March 13, 1951 reinstated Kandalakshsky District in its old borders, and Kandalaksha again became its administrative center.
On April 18, 1951, Vayenga was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed
Severomorsk
Severomorsk (), known as Vayenga () until 18 April 1951, is a closed city, closed types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is sit ...
.
On April 26, 1951, by the Decision of Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, several inhabited localities of Polyarny District were passed into its jurisdiction.
Kirovsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction on May 6, 1954 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union; at the same time Kirovsky District was abolished, and its territory was subordinated to Kirovsk.
Polyarny, on the other hand, was demoted to a town under district jurisdiction and subordinated to Polyarny District by the June 14, 1956 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR of March 19, 1959, the Councils of Deputies of Kandalaksha and of Kandalakshsky District were merged into one Kandalaksha Town Council of Deputies.
While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of July 9, 1960 abolished Polyarny District, the territory of which was divided between
Kolsky, Pechengsky, and
Teribersky Districts, with the town of Polyarny being administratively subordinated to the town of Severomorsk.
[Decree #741/18] At the same time, the territory of Teribersky District was also merged with the territory of Severomorsk, to which the district's subdivisions were subordinated.
Teribersky District was nominally retained as an administrative division and renamed Severomorsky.
Saamsky District was abolished by the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 26, 1963.
The district's selsoviets were transferred to
Lovozersky District, while
Gremikha, the administrative center of the former district, was subordinated to Severomorsk.
On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to re-organize the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and the executive committee.
Nevertheless, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which no longer included Kandalakshsky and Severomorsky Districts and classified the remaining districts as rural.
Subordination of
Olenegorsk to Monchegorsk and of Polyarny to Severomorsk remained unchanged.
The classification of the districts as rural only lasted for less than two years.
The November 21, 1964 Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR restored the unified Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais and oblasts where the division into the urban and rural districts was introduced in 1962, and the districts of Murmansk Oblast were re-categorized as regular districts again by the January 12, 1965 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree.
On January 6, 1966, the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee petitioned to transform the work settlement of
Molodyozhny in jurisdiction of Kirovsk into a town under oblast jurisdiction called Khibinogorsk and on subordinating a part of the territory under Kirovsk's jurisdiction to it.
The petition was reviewed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, which, however, decreed on July 7, 1966 to merge the work settlements of Molodyozhny and
Apatity
Apatity ( rus, Апатиты, p=əpɐˈtʲitɨ, lit. apatites) is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located along the Murman Railway, west of Kirovsk and south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. The town is named after one ...
into a town under oblast jurisdiction, which would retain the name Apatity.
Consequently, the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee subordinated a part of the territory in Kirovsk's jurisdiction to the new town by the decision of October 13, 1966.
On November 29, 1979, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to establish
Kovdorsky District on the parts of the territories previously in jurisdiction of Apatity.
Olenegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction by the August 10, Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree, and several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Monchegorsk were transferred to Olenegorsk by the August 26, 1981 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee.
Next was the town of Polyarny, which was granted the same status by the June 17, 1983 Decree, and to which several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Severomorsk were transferred by the August 10, 1983 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee.
On November 17, 1987, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to transfer the settlement of the railway station of Poyakonda from
Tedinsky Selsoviet of
Loukhsky District
Loukhsky District (; ) is an administrative district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of the Republic of Karelia, fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.Constitution of the Republic of Karelia It is located in the north of the repu ...
of the
Karelian ASSR to Murmansk Oblast.
By the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 20, 1988, the settlement was merged with the inhabited locality of
Poyakonda on the territory in jurisdiction of the town of Kandalaksha.
The transfer marked the only time the external borders of the oblast changed between 1947 and present.
By the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Decree of April 22, 1991, the work settlement of
Polyarnye Zori
Polyarnye Zori (, lit. ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Niva River, Lake Imandra, and Lake Pinozero, south of Murmansk. The nearest settlements to Polyarnye Zory are: Zasheek (3&nbs ...
in jurisdiction of the town of Apatity was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction.
A part of the territory in jurisdiction of Apatity was also transferred to Polyarnye Zori by the Decision of the Presidium of the Murmansk Oblast Soviet of People's Deputies of May 16, 1991.
The administrative-territorial structure of the oblast remained unchanged until January 1998, when a new law on the administrative-territorial division was adopted. The new law no longer included selsoviets as a lower-level administrative division, but it recognized
closed administrative-territorial formations as a new type of an administrative-territorial unit, the status of which was equal to that of the districts and the cities/towns with jurisdictional territories.
References
Sources
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{{Use mdy dates, date=September 2013
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the northwestern part of the country, with a total land area of . Its only internal border is the Republic of Karelia to the south, and it is bor ...