Between 1933 and 1993, Kotelny Island hosted an important Soviet naval (
Northern Fleet) base. An arctic research station was also co-located there. As of 2013, steps are underway to
reactivate this base, with a temporary airstrip (referred to as
Temp) for flying in supplies and personnel having been established by a Russian naval task force that visited the New Siberian Islands during September 2013. Other initial infrastructure and supplies for the base, along with associated personnel were also landed by the task force, whose flagship was the Kirov class Battlecruiser
Petr Velikiy