Murmansk, Russia, December 6, 2018
Photo: murmansk.kp.ru The Public Chamber of the Russian Federation held its final meeting of the expert council of the “Great Names of Russia” contest on Tuesday, summing up the national vote for renaming 42 airports throughout the country after great Russians.
5.5 million people participated in choosing 42 names out of a possible 142, and the final results were announced on the program 60 Minutes on the channel Russia-1, reports the Murmansk Gazette.
Among the winners was Royal Martyr Tsar Nicholas II, in whose honor Murmansk Airport will be renamed, having received 49% of the votes (71,652).
The great and beloved Russian saint defeated Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin, a Soviet polar explorer, scientist, and Counter Admiral who was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and nine Orders of Lenin, who fought for the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war. He received 41% of the vote (60,402).
State Duma Deputy Natalia Poklonskaya, known as a great venerator of the Royal Martyrs, noted that there are plans to allocate $52,290,000 (3.5 billion rubles) for the reconstruction of the airport, and the new name in honor of Tsar Nicholas will help speed up that process.
“Believe me, having received the name of Tsar Nicholas II, this airport will receive the long-awaited federal money quicker,” she said in an interview with Moscow Speaks.
While some in Murmansk have decried the results, claiming the city has no connection to the Tsar, Royal Russia reports that this is not the case: “Murmansk, Russia’s first ice free port was in fact founded in 1916 by Nicholas II and named Romanov-on-Murman. It was from here that many believed the Imperial family would have been sent abroad to England after the tsar’s abdication, however, it was not to be.”
Murmansk Province Deputy Vladimir Akhrameiko noted the same to Tsargrad: “After all, if not for Nicholas II, our beloved city of Murmansk would not exist. That’s how I voted, and I think it’s absolutely reasonable… For Murmansk, it seems to me, the most important thing and the very foundation was laid, of course, by Nicholas II.”
Pskov Airport will also be renamed in honor of St. Olga, the Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Follow us on Facebook!
