RUSSIA. Murmansk. Population estimated at 320 900 in 2005, is a seaport on the Kola Bay, 12 km from the Barents Sea. The port remains ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic drift ocean current and is an important fishing and shipping port. During the Cold War, the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet used the southern reaches of the Sea as a ballistic missile submarine bastion, a strategy that continues today. 2006.