From a bird's - eye view, the Murmansk-Pechenga highway is barely discernible. A thin, sinuous, sometimes barely visible thread. But it is precisely this road that connects the entire northern tip of the Kola Peninsula to the Mainland. And where it ends, almost on the very shore of the eternally cold Barents Sea, squat barracks and storage facilities with equipment are lined up in even rows. A little further away are residential buildings for families of officers and local residents. This is the village of Sputnik. The very edge of the Russian land. An outpost of our defense. It is here that the soldiers of the Kirkenes Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, commanded by Colonel Grigory Semyonov, perform their difficult service.

To say that the living conditions here are not easy is almost an understatement. Violent snowstorms in winter, pestering hordes of mosquitoes everywhere in summer... Swampy tundra and a complete lack of urban comfort. And if we add to this "bouquet" the general problems that the army is experiencing today, it will become clear what kind of people serve and live here. People of special training. After all, here it is necessary not only to survive, but also to organize a well-established educational process, life and everyday life of the military garrison.

Today, Colonel Semenov's brigade rightfully occupies one of the leading positions. There is no equal to the Kirkinesians in either fire or physical training. And it is no coincidence that for several years in a row they have been held in the ranks of the combined regiment of marines in a solemn march at the Kremlin walls during parades. Virtually every member of the Kirkenes Brigade has two or even three commendations from the Minister of Defense and the Fleet Commander.

But not only the Marines from Sputnik are famous for their combat bearing. True heroism and selflessness in serving the Motherland were demonstrated by the North Sea people during the fighting in Chechnya. More than two thousand people from the brigade passed through this terrible crucible. Almost all of them were awarded state awards for their bravery. Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Zhukov, Majors Igor Yevtyukhin. Vasily Yelizov, Nikolai Klimov, captains Igor Durnov, Evgeny. Buzdin. Alexey Romakhov. Sergey Yeshmanov. You can write a separate essay about each of them. About how they took care of the soldiers and did not spare themselves, how they fought and wounded, did not leave the battlefield, how they fled from the "polar bears"(as Chechen militants called Severomorets among themselves), Dudayev's vaunted field commanders.

Today, these events are recalled by a granite obelisk installed at the entrance to the brigade's location, each barracks has its own corner of Glory, which tells about the exploits of colleagues.

The Polar Satellite lives, works and studies. And no matter how difficult it is in our turbulent times, the northern outpost does not give up its positions.

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