Murmansk Okrug

Creation

The okrug was established on August 1, 1927, when the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast". According to these resolutions, Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug and included into Leningrad Oblast together with eight other okrugs. The okrug was not contiguous with the rest of Leningrad Oblast and was separated from it by the territory of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Upon the transformation, the administrative structure of the okrug was also changed. Instead of the nine volosts into which Murmansk Governorate was divided, the territory of the okrug was divided into six districts.

Administrative-territorial changes

1926–1929

Just as numerous proposals to change the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Governorate, the okrug's predecessor, had been submitted, the work on changing the administrative-territorial structure of the new okrug soon commenced. This time, however, the ethnic composition of the territory became a priority.

On October 25, 1926, the VTsIK and the Council of People's Commissars adopted a Temporary Provision "On the Governing of the Native Peoples and Tribes of the Extreme North of the RSFSR", which dealt with the peoples and the tribes of the Extreme North who did not have any forms of ethnic government in place. On May 30, 1927, the provision was extended to cover the Lapps (Sami) and the Samoyeds of Murmansk Governorate, allowing them to create special ethnic-based organs of the local self-government. Until 1928, the Sami and Samoyeds used the same forms of government as elsewhere on the Kola Peninsula—the selsoviets and the district executive committees. However, in preparation for the winter 1928–1929 soviet elections, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee and the Committee of the North initiated planning to establish ethnic Sami soviets in the ethnic pogosts. On October 11, 1928, the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee decreed to establish thirteen ethnic Sami soviets:

in Alexandrovsky District:

Motovsky.

in Kolsko-Loparsky District:

Babinsky;

Ekostrovsky;

Kildinsky;

Notozersky;

Pulozersky.

in Lovozersky District:

Kamensky;

Lovozersky;

Semiostrovsky;

Voronezhsky.

in Ponoysky District:

1930

On January 10, 1930 the Presidium of the VTsIK issued a circular letter on the procedures for establishing special ethnic administrative-territorial units (okrugs, districts, and selsoviets) for the ethnic minorities. Based on this letter, on January 25, 1930 the Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee ordered the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee to start working on granting the ethnic status to the selsoviets in which at least two-thirds of the population were ethnic minorities. By April 1, 1930, seven ethnic Finnish selsoviets and one ethnic Norwegian selsoviet were established in Murmansk Okrug, in addition to seven already existing Sami selsoviets. Discussions of the possibilities of establishing more ethnic selsoviets was ongoing in the executive committees of various levels.

On May 4, 1930, the Okrug Administrative Commission approved the list of the ethnic selsoviets:

Finnish selsoviets

in Alexandrovsky District: Belokamensky, Gryazno-Gubsky, Ozerkovsky, Tyuva-Gubsky, Ura-Gubsky, Zapadno-Litsky

in Kolsko-Loparsky District: Peyvo-Yarvinsky

Norwegian selsoviets

in Alexandrovsky District: Tsyp-Navoloksky

Sami selsoviets

in Alexandrovsky District: Motovsky

in Kolsko-Loparsky District: Kildinsky, Notozersky

in Lovozersky District: Semiostrovsky, Voronezhsky

in Ponoysky District: Iokangsky, Lumbovsky

This list was approved on May 7, 1930 by the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee.

With the task of creating ethnic selsoviets completed, on May 26, 1930 the okrug administrative commission returned to the discussion of the previously proposed ethnic districts. The possibility of creation of Vostochno-Laplandsky District was reviewed—the new district was to include the territory of Lovozersky District, a territory in the east of Teribersky District, and the territories of Iokangsky and Lumbovsky Sami Selsoviets of Ponoysky District. Ponoysky and Sosnovsky Selsoviets of Ponoysky District would be merged into Tersky District. This proposal was approved and sent on for further consideration to the administrative commission of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee. The proposal for creation of Zapadno-Laplandsky District, on the other hand, was declined and returned to the Committee of the North as needing a revision. The discussion of the possibility of creating an ethnic Finnish district was postponed.

1931–1936

The work on the organization of the ethnic Sami districts resumed in fall 1931. Even though Lovozersky District had already been designated as ethnic Sami, the 8th Plenary Session of the Committee of the North started another initiative to create an ethnic Sami district on the territory of Murmansk Okrug. First such proposal was presented on October 8, 1931 in Leningrad by the government of the Sami association. The proposal suggested the creation of two ethnic districts: Zapadno-Saamsky and Vostochno-Saamsky. Zapadno-Saamsky District would include the western part of Polyarny District (excluding the Rybachy Peninsula), most of Kolsko-Loparsky District (with the exception of Khibiny and the territory in the immediate vicinity of the Kola Bay), the northwestern part of Lovozersky District, and the southwestern part of Teribersky District, which would cover two-thirds of the Sami population of the okrug. The administrative center of the district would be in Kola, but would later be moved to Murmashi. Vostochno-Saamsky District would include most of Ponoysky District, the southeastern part of Teribersky District, and the eastern part of Lovozersky District, which would cover a quarter of the Sami population of the okrug. The administrative center of this district would be in Iokanga.

The proposal was considered by the commission on the matters of administrative division of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee in May 1932. The commission agreed that Vostochno-Saamsky District would need to be created, but it should be created as a merger of Ponoysky and Lovozersky Districts, which would cover 39% of the Sami population. The commission also suggested that the administrative center of this new district should be in Lovozero. The creation of Zapadno-Saamsky District was not recommended due to the fact that only 8.8% of the Sami people lived in the western parts of the okrug. Additionally, the commission took into consideration the rapid growth of mining industry in the Khibiny Massif and the planned expansion to the areas surrounding Lake Imandra, and recommended to create a district with mining specialization on the part of the territory of Kolsko-Loparsky District (Kukisvumchorrsky Settlement Council, Ekostrovsky Selsoviet, and the settlements of Apatity and Zasheyek), with the administrative center in Khibinogorsk.

The Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee held several additional meetings in summer 1932. As a result, the redistricting proposal was amended further. During the June 25, 1932 meeting, the creation of Zapadno-Saamsky District was discussed again and found to be feasible. Tersky, Teribersky, and Polarny Districts would remain unchanged. During the meetings held on July 7 and 25, 1932, the new districts' composition details were further refined. Finally, the meeting of October 3, 1932 issued the final recommendations. The proposed redistricting scheme was taking into consideration not only the ethnic aspect, but the economic realities as well. The commission found it necessary to create seven districts within the okrug:

1937–1938

By 1937, the copper-nickel mining volume in the Monchegorsk area increased significantly, and, consequently, the area population grew as well. On February 19, 1937 the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee petitioned to create new Monchegorsky District by separating the town and its surrounding area from Kirovsky District and to grant Monchegorsk town status. While town status was granted to Monchegorsk by the VTsIK Resolution of September 20, 1937, no new district was formed.

On December 21, 1937, the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee again petitioned to create a new district with the administrative center in Monchegorsk. In a letter to the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee and the VTsIK, the Presidium noted that Kirovsky District has two developed but unrelated industrial centers—Kirovsk and Monchegorsk—with the latter having a larger population and being located 111 kilometers (69 mi) away from the former.

On February 10, 1938, the VTsIK adopted a Resolution changing the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Okrug; however, new Monchegorsky District was not created and Monchegorsk remained a part of Kirovsky District.

Karelian border issue

The issue with the southern border with the Karelian ASSR had not been resolved by the time the okrug was established in 1927. This unresolved problem was one of the reasons for the proposals to include the whole Kandalakshskaya Volost (which later became Kandalakshsky District) into the territory of the okrug. The okrug authorities argued that at the very least the pre-1923 borders need to be recognized, while the Karelian side was insisting that the border shown on the official NKVD map was to be retained. On February 10, 1931, the Presidium of the VTsIK reviewed the matter and ruled to leave Murmansk Okrug "within existing borders". However, during the April 12, 1931 meeting of the representatives of Murmansk Okrug and the Karelian ASSR it turned out that each side has a different understanding of what the "existing borders" are supposed to be. The Murmansk Okrug representative declared that the VTsIK resolution refers to the southern border of former Alexandrovsky Uyezd, which was transformed into Murmansk Governorate in June 1931, while the Karelian representative was convinced that the resolution gives official status to the border shown on the official NKVD map of the Karelian ASSR.

The Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee issued two resolutions—one on April 13, 1931 and another on July 23, 1932—explaining its position and petitioned several times to review the borders once again, but the administrative commission of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee in its letter of October 11, 1932 declared that there will be no further review of the border situation.

The problem re-surfaced in 1935, when by the VTsIK Resolution of August 20, work settlement status was granted to the settlement of Zasheyek in Kirovsky District. After the resolution had been published, it was pointed out that Zasheyek is simultaneously listed in Kirovsky District of Murmansk Okrug and in the Karelian ASSR. The joint meeting of the representatives of Murmansk Okrug and Karelia, which took place on April 15, 1936, was unable to resolve the situation.

On June 8, 1936, the Presidium of the Karelian ASSR Central Executive Committee approved the transfer of the station of Zasheyek of the Kirov Railway and of the settlement of Verkhny Nivastroy (also known as Zasheyek) from Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR to Murmansk Okrug; the border would still remain unchanged. The Resolution of the Presidium of the Karelian ASSR Central Executive Committee of August 8, 1936 also added to this list the settlement of Zasheykovskogo lesopilnogo zavoda and the settlement of Zasheyek proper. The Presidium of the VTsIK approved the petition for transfer of the work settlement of Zasheyek on April 1, 1937; however, the VTsIK did not list all of the inhabited localities being transferred by name, which lead to the continuation of the dispute between Murmansk Okrug and the Karelian ASSR. When a transfer act for the work settlement of Zasheyek was being compiled on May 5, 1937, the Murmansk Okrug representatives demanded that the settlements of Lesozavoda, lesouchastka Vostochnaya Guba, and Verkhny Nivastroy, as well as the station of Zasheyek of the Kirov Railway, were also transferred to Murmansk Okrug. The Karelian representatives insisted that these settlements are to remain in the Karelian ASSR. The conciliatory commission meeting on July 8, 1937 failed to resolve this dispute. On July 15, 1937, the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee called the problem "artificial" and declared that the transfer should not have even been discussed, since the inhabited locality in question was never officially transferred out of the okrug and was being served solely by the Murmansk Okrug organizations anyway. Furthermore, the Presidium refused to approve the conciliatory commission's findings and petitioned to rescind the VTsIK's resolution of April 1, 1937 and to officially document the border between Murmansk Okrug and the Karelian ASSR.

Urbanization

First work settlements appeared in Murmansk Okrug in 1930. One of the first two settlements was Kukisvumchorr, which was established as an apatite-mining settlement near the mountain of the same name in the Khibiny Massif in the south of Kolsko-Loparsky District, and was granted the work settlement status by the VTsIK Resolution of July 20, 1930. Another one was a nameless settlement, ultimately called Lesnoy, serving a timber-cutting plant in Tersky District.

The number of work settlements increased in summer 1935. Kola, which was demoted to a rural locality in 1926, was elevated in status to an urban locality and granted work settlement status by the VTsIK Resolution of August 20, 1935. By the same resolution, work settlement status was also granted to Port-Vladimir in Polyarny District, and to Apatity and Zasheyek in Kirovsky District.

Abolition

The okrug existed until May 28, 1938, when it was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR, and transformed into Murmansk Oblast.