What is "melinka"

Melinka is a Chilean town in Aysén Province, Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region. It is located in the Ascención Island and is the administrative center of the commune of Guaitecas since 1979. The settlement is named after the wife of the Lithuanian immigrant, F. A. Westhoff, who settled in the area when it was still part of Chiloé Province. According to a local legend the word melinka comes from Russian and means lovely. In fact, there is the Russian archaic colloquialism милёнка ( transl. milyonka) which means "lovely" and "миленькая" ( transl. milen'kaya) which is a feminine adjective for "lovely", "darling".