THE ARCTIC DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR AND THE PRESENT

On May 20, 2025, the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference «The Arctic during the Great Patriotic War and the Present», dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. During the discussion, the specifics and results of the military operations in the north of the country, the courage and heroism of the defenders of Murmansk and other settlements of the Arctic were widely considered. Arctic cities became cities of labor valor: Vorkuta, Magadan, Monchegorsk, Norilsk, Salekhard, Severodvinsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Yakutsk. Special attention was paid to the Lend-Lease program, which was one of the most important areas of cooperation between the USSR, Great Britain and the USA during the Great Patriotic War and the importance of international cooperation between the countries of the antiHitler coalition. Today, the hero city of Murmansk is an important strategic center, continuing the traditions of the Northern Fleet, recalling the heroism of those who defended the Arctic borders of our Homeland during the most difficult years of the war. In the harsh conditions of the North, Soviet troops conducted defensive and offensive operations, the largest of which is Petsamo-Kirkenes. Key words: The Arctic, Murmansk, the Lend-Lease Act, northern convoys, the Northern Sea Route, the Great Patriotic War.