The Russian route R12, also known as the Lotta, is a regional road that which connects Murmansk and Finland (Finland–Russia border). Its length is 231 km.Соснин Д. А. Развитие автомобильных автомобильных дорог и пунктов пунктов пропуска на территории Мурманской области для активизации приграничного сотрудничества // Материалы 7-й Международной конференции «Логистика в Арктике». — Мурманск, 2007
Until the middle of the twentieth century, missing road links from Kola and Murmansk to Finland along the Lotta River.Мурманская область // Схемы автомобильных дорог СССР, 1945 The need for a road arose in the 1960s, in connection with the construction of the Upper Tuloma Hydroelectric Power Plant. The Upper Tuloma Hydroelectric Power Plant was built by Soviet and Finnish specialists.ВЕРХНЕТУЛОМСКАЯ ГЭС // «Кольский Север». Энциклопедический лексикон / Гл. ред. А. С. Лоханов. — Мурманск : Доброхот, 2013. The construction of the road began in 1961.Городское поселение Верхнетуломский Кольского района The road to the village of builders, which later became known as Verkhnetulomsky, was also built by the joint efforts of the two countries.ВЕРХНЕТУЛОМСКИЙ // «Кольский Север». Энциклопедический лексикон / Гл. ред. А. С. Лоханов. — Мурманск : Доброхот, 2013. From Kola the road was built by Soviet builders, from Finland by Finnish builders.Верхне-Туломскую ГЭС посетили финские ветераны-строители станции
In 1967, the frontier and customs post "Lotta" was opened on the road."ЛОТТА" // «Кольский Север». Энциклопедический лексикон / Гл. ред. А. С. Лоханов. — Мурманск : Доброхот, 2013.
In 2010, 191 km of the road from 231 had asphalt concrete, the remaining 40 km had gravel concrete.Автодороги Кольского полуострова // Кольские карты. — Мурманск: Север, 2010
Major settlements along the road include Murmansk, Tuloma, Verkhnetulomsky, and Svetly. After crossing the border, the route continues to Ivalo.
Sources