The ships are fitted out for passengers and some of the profits go to the upkeep of Russia's icebreaker fleet.

On September 28, 2011, President Medvedev lifted the ban on the privatization of the nuclear icebreaker fleet with decree No. 1256.

The dumping allegations have received wide coverage in the Russian press and local political pressure has added to the demand for accountability from the navy and the icebreaker fleet.

In 1946, the Finnish Government appointed a committee to start planning the rebuilding of the Finnish icebreaker fleet.

By the late 1980s, Wärtsilä had produced about 60 percent of the worldwide icebreaker fleet, including all Finnish icebreakers in service at the time.

The rebuilding and expanding of the Finnish icebreaker fleet continued until all Finnish ports could be kept open year-round.

Ilmarinen was a small steam-powered icebreaker that was part of the Finnish state-owned icebreaker fleet in 1918-1922.

However, she was confiscated by the Finns and joined the Finnish icebreaker fleet as Ilmarinen, after the legendary hero from Kalevala.

The primary means to break the ice cover is the icebreaker fleet.

Once the war reparations to the Soviet Union had been paid in 1952, Finland started renewing its icebreaker fleet.