Editing Franz Josef Land (section)

===Recent history===
[[File:Arkticheskiy trilistnik (2017) 02.jpg|thumb|upright=1.55|[[Nagurskoye (air base)|Nagurskoye]] is Russia's northernmost military base]]

As part of the opening up of Franz Josef Land, the Institute of Geography in Moscow, Stockholm University and Umeå University (Sweden) conducted expeditions to Alexandra Land in August 1990 and August 1991, studying climate- and glacial history by radiocarbon dating raised beaches and antlers from extinct caribou.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Glazovskiy|first1=Andrey|last2=Näslund|first2=Jens-Ove|last3=Zale|first3=Rolf|year=1992|title=Deglaciation and shoreline displacement on Alexandra Land, Franz Josef Land|journal=Geografiska Annaler|volume=74(A)|issue=4 |pages=283–293|doi=10.1080/04353676.1992.11880371 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Näslund|first1=Jens-Ove|last2=Zale|first2=Rolf|last3=Glazovskiy|first3=Andrey|year=1994|title=The Mid Holocene transgression on Alexandra Land, Franz Josef Land, Russia|journal=Geografiska Annaler|volume=76(A)|issue=1–2 |pages=97–101|doi=10.1080/04353676.1994.11880409 }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The work was conducted from a small research base southwest of Nagurskoye, built in 1989. Also in 1990, a collaboration between the Academy of Sciences, the Norwegian Polar Institute and the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]] resulted in the first of several archaeological expeditions organized by the Institute of Culture in Moscow.<ref name=":1" /> The military base on Graham Bell Island was abandoned in the early 1990s. The military presence at Nagurskoye was reduced to that of a border post, and the number of people stationed at Krenkel Observatory was reduced from 70 to 12.<ref>Barr (1995): 151</ref> The archipelago and the surrounding waters were declared a [[nature reserve]] in April 1994. The opening of the archipelago also saw the introduction of tourism, most of which takes place on Russian-operated icebreakers.<ref name=b152>Barr (1995): 152</ref> In 2011, in a move to better accommodate tourism in the archipelago, the [[Russian Arctic National Park]] was expanded to include Franz Josef Land.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://barentsobserver.com/en/arctic/russia-ready-boost-arctic-tourism |title=Russia ready to boost Arctic tourism |last=Sazhenova |first=Anastasia |date=29 August 2011 |publisher=[[Barents Observer]]}}</ref>  However, in August 2019, Russia abruptly withdrew its approval for a Norwegian cruise ship to visit the islands.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/travel/2019/08/norwegian-cruise-ship-banned-entering-russian-arctic-waters |title=Norwegian cruise ship banned from sailing Franz Josef Land |last=Thomas|first=Nilsen |date=19 August 2019 |publisher=[[Barents Observer]]}}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Russian Air Force]] decided to reopen the [[Greem Bell Airfield|Graham Bell Airfield]] as part of a series of reopenings of air bases in the Arctic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://barentsobserver.com/en/security/russia-reopens-arctic-airbases |title=Russia reopens Arctic airbases |last=Pettersen |first=Trude |date=31 May 2012 |publisher=[[Barents Observer]]}}</ref> A major new base, named the ''Arctic Trefoil'' for its three lobed structure, was constructed at [[Nagurskoye]]. It can maintain 150 soldiers for 18 months and has an area of 14,000 square meters.<ref>[http://conspiracy-cafe.blogspot.com/2015/10/russia-builds-second-military-base-to.html Russia Builds Second Military base to Support Arctic Ambitions]</ref> The upgraded airbase is considered a threat to the U.S. military installation at [[Thule Site J|Thule, Greenland]].<ref>Cela, Margrét, and Pia Hansson. Geopolitics and Neglected Arctic Spaces: Three Northern Perspectives on Balancing External Interests. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 2020. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep26993 JSTOR website] Retrieved 14 Sept. 2023.</ref>

In 2017, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] visited the archipelago.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/30/vladimir-putin-visits-arctic-archipelago-staking-claim-oil-rich/|title=Vladimir Putin visits Arctic archipelago and stakes claim to the oil-rich region|date=30 March 2017|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref>

In August 2019, a geographic expedition by the [[Russian Northern Fleet]] to Franz Josef Land and [[Novaya Zemlya]] discovered a new island in the archipelago, previously thought to be a peninsula of [[Hall Island (Arctic)|Hall Island]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=William |date=2019-10-23 |title=Melting glaciers in the Russian Arctic uncover five new islands |url=https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/melting-glaciers-uncover-new-islands/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Oceanographic |language=en-GB}}</ref>