Note:
(a) photo caption: "俄罗斯长期经略北极地区。圣彼得堡南北极博物馆展出的示意图，俄国外交家格拉西莫夫500年前首次提出了从欧洲到中国的北极航道设想。（美国之音白桦拍摄）"
(i) Museum of Arctic and Antarctic Museum, St Petersburg. undated (state-owned). http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/arctic-antarctic-museum/
(the photos ay the center of home page change every few seconds)
(ii) Northeast Passage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Passage
(includes the Northern Sea Route [qv; defined by Russian law as from Kara Sea to Bering Strait)
Quote:
"The Portuguese navigator David Melgueiro - according to some sources - would have made the first Northeast Passage complete crossing, from east to west, in 1660.
"The motivation to navigate the Northeast passage was initially economic. In Russia, the idea of a possible seaway connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific was first put forward by the diplomat [Dmitry] Gerasimov in 1525.
My guess is both passages are from Europeans' standpoint as the start, whose destination would be China (less likely: Japan).
(b) "俄罗斯副总理罗格津 * * * 试图向中国证明使用北极航道从事商业运输具有各种优势。他星期五在上议院联邦委员会发表演讲时说，只有中国这样的经济巨人才能保证北极航道的货物运输量"
(i) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin (for defense industry)
Currently Russian government has a prime minister, a first deputy prime minister, and seven deputy prime ministers (first deputy prime minister is not one of them).
(ii) Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
(table in the right column: Legislature: Federal Assembly: • Upper house Federation Council + • Lower house State Duma)
白桦 is dead wrong.
(i) Gulf of Finland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Finland
("The gulf is usually frozen from late November to late April; the freezing starts in the east and gradually proceeds to the west. Complete freezing is usually reached by late January, and it might not occur in mild winters. There are frequent strong western winds causing waves, surges of water and floods")
(ii) Murmansk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murmansk
(The port of Murmansk remains ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic Current; is home port to Atomflot, the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers)
(A) Port of Murmansk: "The port ranks fourth in Russia in terms of processed goods and the second largest in the north-west of Russia (after the port of St Petersburg)" en.wikipedia.org
(B) pronunciation: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Murmansk
(iii) Vladivostok 海參崴 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladivostok
(The port is ice-free all year round)
Russia acquired Vladivostok in the 1860 Convention of Peking.
(iv) port https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port
(section 3.4 Warm-water port)