ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on military participation in politics and on military integration with society at large. The question of military participation in regional politics was of little interest in Soviet days. The chapter discusses the issue of military representation in the regional political bodies of Murmansk oblast', and also focuses on possible channels of influence on regional political decisions. It looks at the participation in the presidential and gubernatorial elections. A discussion of military representation in regional political bodies boils down to the question of whether military personnel are represented among the 25 deputies of the regional Duma. The economic troubles seem to have furthered an integration between the military and civilian populations on the Kola Peninsula. The geographical separation of military and civilian settlements on the Kola Peninsula definitely restricts civil-military integration. Economic conditions represent limitations to civil-military integration at the individual level.
