RUSSKIY ISLAND

Once a haven of nature and peace off the coast of Vladivostok (Empress Eugenie Archipelago, Gulf of Peter the Great), Russkiy Island served until the end of the 20th century as a large military station protecting the Russian border from Japanese invasions. In Soviet times, as a closed territory, it was home to several naval training/training units. Then, in 1992, four soldiers on duty, forgotten by their officers, died of hunger there (one of the biggest military scandals after the USSR). The military installations were destroyed.
Charming and forested, Russkiy Island is one of Vladivostok's favourite summer resorts. It is also home to the former gigantic business complex, built to host the 2012 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Forum) summit at high speed. A building whose faults have been denounced time and time again... After the forum, the decision was taken to convert it into a "Federal University of the Far East" and to develop the island's tourism potential. Since then, it has been inviting travellers to laze on its beaches and explore its forests. In 2016, Russia's largest aquarium, the Oceanarium, was inaugurated there. Also since 2012, the island is connected to the continent by the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It will always be interesting to borrow the structure, at least to photograph it. Its tricolour stays are in the colours of the Russian flag.