Arkhangelsk Military District Arkhangelsk Military District Arkhangelsk Military District () existed from March 26, 1940 to December 15, 1944, and again from February 15, 1946 to June 29, 1951. Command of the district was established from command elements of the 15th Army (Arkhangelsk). During the reorganization on January 1, 1945, it was renamed Belomorsky Military District (White Sea Military District). Included in the Arkhangelsk Military District were territories of Arkhangelsk and Vologda Oblasts and of the Komi ASSR. Headquarters of the military district was located in the city of Arkhangelsk. On June 22, 1941, army formations in the district included the 88th and
Port of Murmansk Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg (later renamed Petrograd). However, after the blocking of the Ottoman Empire's straits of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to outside shipping and blockading of the Baltic Sea port of St. Petersburg, the Russian Empire could only use the northern port of Arkhangelsk. This port had limitations: when winter presented itself, navigation and shipping of any sort came to a halt. Therefore, it was decided to build a new port. The chosen location was in Murmansk due to its ability to accommodate sea traffic year-round, proximity to existing communities and relative ease to connect it to the empire's