Murmansk, Russia (CNN)Next month, a gliding atomic power plant called the Akademik Lomonosov will be towed through the Northern Sea Route to its last goal in the Far East, after very nearly two decades in development.
It's a piece of Russia's desire to carry electric influence to a mineral-rich district. The 144-meter (472 feet) long stage painted in the shades of the Russian banner is going to drift by a little Arctic port town of Pevek, approximately 4,000 miles from Moscow. It will supply power to settlements and organizations removing hydrocarbons and valuable stones in the Chukotka locale.
A bigger motivation is grinding away as well: helping President Vladimir Putin's aggressive Arctic development plans, which have brought geopolitical worries up in the United States.
