Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 26 announced construction of another nuclear-powered icebreaker as part of an expansion of the country's Arctic Fleet. At a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Leningrad icebreaker in a St. Petersburg shipyard, Putin said the keel of sister ship Stalingrad would also be completed next year. Other ships are also being built for work in the Arctic, Putin added. Russia, which has the largest icebreaker fleet in the world, lays claim to much of the mineral resources stored in the frozen Arctic.
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