Closed city
A closed city (according to the currently valid definition in Russian з акрытое а дминистративно- т ерриториальное о бразование (ЗАТО) / sakrytoje / sakrytoje , also translated as an administratiwno-territorial building (SATObrasildeO) or a closed city or administrative territory (SATO) or a closed city ( administratiwno-territorial area) . and residence restrictions. They were established in the Soviet Union and still exist today in Russia and other CIS countries . There are bans or restrictions on entry for foreigners and Russian citizens. Closed cities are mostly military bases or locations of the armaments and nuclear industries that were not shown on maps freely available in the Soviet Union . They are screened by checkpoints, armed security guards and security fences.
history
Many closed cities were established in sparsely populated areas of the Urals or in Siberia . You had a special task in the context of the Soviet atomic bomb project . For some of the cities with up to 100,000 inhabitants, there were at least temporary restrictions on the resident population to leave them.
The secrecy went so far that the actual place of residence or its geographical location was even concealed from relatives and friends. The closed cities were given cover names that corresponded to the designation of districts of larger cities, and the addresses also followed the pattern of real streets. In censuses, the population was offset against the respective large cities.
Most of the large closed cities were opened after the collapse of the Soviet Union , such as Kaliningrad , Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky), Samara (Kuibyshev), Sevastopol , Chelyabinsk or Vladivostok . However, to this day there are sites of the nuclear industry or settlements near military objects that require a special permit to visit, also for closest relatives at family events such as weddings or funerals .
Closed administrative-territorial structures in Russia
(according to Decree 508 of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 5, 2001, taking into account subsequent changes)
Map with all coordinates of the closed cities: OSM | WikiMap
| Name 1 | location | Responsibility / activity / other | Inhabitant (area) 2 |
Map 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Bolshoi Kamen ( Большой Камень ) |
Primorsky Krai (30 km east of Vladivostok ) |
Department of Defense ( Navy ): Pacific Fleet base, military shipbuilding |
39,149 (25) |
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Fokino ( Фокино ) |
Primorsky Krai (45 km east of Vladivostok ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Pacific Fleet Code names: Schkotowo-17, Tichookeanski ; The settlements Dunai ( Schkotowo-22 ) and Putjatin ( Schkotowo-26 ) also belong to the SATO |
34,941 (16) |
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|
Gorny ( Горный ) |
Transbaikalia region (100 km southwest of Chita ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Chita-46 |
10,557 |
|
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Komarowski ( Комаровский ) |
Orenburg Oblast (500 km east of Orenburg , on the south-western outskirts of Jasny ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Dombarowski-3 |
9,086 |
|
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Krasnosnamensk ( Краснознаменск ) |
Moscow Oblast (40 km west of Moscow ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Space Forces ): Space Research Center and Ground Station Codenamed: Golitzyno-2 |
29,774 (6) |
|
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|
Lesnoi ( Лесной ) |
Sverdlovsk Oblast (250 km north of Yekaterinburg ) |
Rosatom : Development and production of nuclear weapons and other military technology Code names: Sverdlovsk-45 |
55,842 |
|
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|
Lokomotivny ( Локомотивный ) |
Chelyabinsk Oblast (260 km south of Chelyabinsk , on the southwestern outskirts of Kartaly ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code names: Kartaly-6, Solnetschny |
9,840 |
|
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|
Mezhgorye ( Межгорье ) |
Republic of Bashkortostan (230 km east of Ufa , 70 km northwest of Belorezk ) |
Ministry of Defense : aboveground and underground military structures of unknown purpose code names: Belorezk-15, Belorezk-16 |
17,464 (219) |
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|
Mikhailovsky ( Михайловский ) |
Saratov Oblast (200 km northeast of Saratov ) |
Ministry of Defense : Chemical Weapons Destruction |
2,103 |
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Mirny ( Мирный ) |
Arkhangelsk Oblast (300 km south of Arkhangelsk ) |
Ministry of Defense (Space Forces ): Plesetsk rocket launch pad |
30,280 (124) |
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|
Molodjoschny ( Молодёжный ) |
Moscow Oblast (80 km southwest of Moscow , 7 km southeast of Naro-Fominsk ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Naro-Fominsk-5 |
2,876 |
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|
Novouralsk ( Новоуральск ) |
Sverdlovsk Oblast (70 km north of Yekaterinburg ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment, military plutonium production, development and production of nuclear weapons Code names: Sverdlovsk-44 |
97,623 |
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|
Osjorny ( Озёрный ) |
Tver Oblast (180 km northwest of Tver , 30 km west of Bologoje , on the southwest edge of the settlement Wypolsowo ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Bologoje-4 |
10,851 |
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|
Osjorsk ( Озёрск ) |
Chelyabinsk Oblast (80 km northwest of Chelyabinsk ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment, military plutonium production ( Mayak nuclear facility ) Code names: Chelyabinsk-40, Chelyabinsk-65 |
99,587 (183) |
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|
Ostrownoi ( Островной ) |
Murmansk Oblast (360 km southeast of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Northern Fleet submarine baseCode names: Murmansk-140, Gremicha, Iokanga |
4,597 (76) |
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Pervomaiski ( Первомайский ) |
Kirov Oblast (70 km north of Kirov , 2 km northeast of the Jurja settlement ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile Base Codename: Jurja-2 |
9.121 |
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|
Polyarny ( Полярный ) |
Murmansk Oblast (35 km north of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Northern Fleet , military repair yard |
17,311 (56) |
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|
Raduschny ( Радужный ) |
Vladimir Oblast (25 km southwest of Vladimir ) |
Ministry of Defense : Laser Weapons DevelopmentCode Name: Vladimir-30 |
17,787 (17) |
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Zaozyorsk ( Заозёрск ) |
Murmansk Oblast (100 km northwest of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Northern Fleet Code names: Murmansk-150, Saozjorny, Sapadnaya Liza, Severomorsk-7 |
13,275 (118) |
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|
Zarechny ( Заречный ) |
Penza Oblast (12 km east of Penza ) |
Rosatom : development and manufacture of nuclear fuel and missiles code name: Pensa-19 |
62,174 (124) |
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|
Sarov ( Саров ) |
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (200 km south of Nizhny Novgorod , 70 km southwest of Arzamas ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment, military plutonium production, development of nuclear fuels Code names: Arsamas-16, Arsamas-60, Kremlyov |
87,755 |
|
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|
Zheleznogorsk ( Железногорск ) |
Krasnoyarsk Territory (60 km northeast of Krasnoyarsk ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment, military plutonium production, development and construction of cosmic devices ( Zheleznogorsk nuclear facility ) Code names: atomic grade, Krasnoyarsk-26 ; earlier the settlement Podgorny ( Krasnoyarsk-35 ) belonged to it |
103,028 (112) |
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|
Schichany ( Шиханы ) |
Saratov Oblast (130 km north of Saratov , 15 km west of Wolsk ,) |
Ministry of Defense : Chemical Weapons Destruction, Chemical Weapons Trial Site, Institute of Organic Synthesis Code names: Wolsk-17, Wolsk-18 |
6,395 |
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|
Zelenogorsk ( Зеленогорск ) |
Krasnoyarsk Territory (150 km east of Krasnoyarsk ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment code name: Krasnoyarsk-45 |
69,020 (22) |
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Severomorsk ( Североморск ) |
Murmansk Oblast (25 km northeast of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Northern Fleet Code name: Wajenga |
73,558 (60) |
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Seversk ( Северск ) |
Tomsk Oblast (10 km north of Tomsk ) |
Rosatom : uranium enrichment, military plutonium production ( Tomsk nuclear facility ) Code names: Tomsk-7 |
114.173 |
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|
Sibirsky ( Сибирский ) |
Altai region (25 km north of Barnaul ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): missile base |
12,283 |
|
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|
Skalisty ( Скалистый ) |
Murmansk Oblast (45 km north of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Northern Fleet Code names: Murmansk-130, Jagelnaya Guba ; The main town is the city of Gadschijewo |
15,605 (135) |
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Znamensk ( Знаменск ) |
Astrakhan Oblast (300 km north of Astrakhan , 90 km east of Volgograd ) |
Ministry of Defense (Space Forces ): Missile and Artillery Test Site Kapustin Jar Code names: Kapustin Jar-1 |
32,357 |
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|
Sneschinsk ( Снежинск ) |
Chelyabinsk Oblast (120 km north of Chelyabinsk , 110 km south of Yekaterinburg ) |
Rosatom : development, production and maintenance of nuclear weapons, code name: Chelyabinsk-70 |
50.391 |
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|
Snezhnogorsk ( Снежногорск ) |
Murmansk Oblast (40 km north of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Base of the Northern Fleet , military repair yard Code names: Murmansk-60, Vyuzhny |
13,932 (29) |
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Solnetschny ( Солнечный ) |
Krasnoyarsk Territory (300 km southwest of Krasnoyarsk , 5 km southwest of Ushur ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code names: Ushur-4 |
10,350 |
|
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|
Solnetschny ( Солнечный ) |
Tver Oblast (190 km west of Tver , 5 km north of Ostashkov , on the island of Gorodomlja in Lake Seliger ) |
Ministry of Defense (space forces ): development of missile control systems, space ground station |
2.007 |
|
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|
Swetly ( Светлый ) |
Saratov Oblast (35 km northwest of Saratov , immediately east of the Tatishchev settlement ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code names: Tatishchevo-5 |
12,778 |
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|
Swjosdny ( Звёздный ) |
Perm Region (35 km south of Perm ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Perm-76 |
9,331 |
|
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|
Svyosdny Gorodok ( Звёздный городок ) |
Moscow Oblast (35 km northeast of Moscow ) |
Ministry of Defense (Space Forces ): Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (training center for Russian cosmonauts) |
6,340 (3.1) |
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|
Svobodny ( Свободный ) |
Sverdlovsk Oblast (150 km north of Yekaterinburg , between Nizhny Tagil and Verkhnyaya Salda ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile base code name: Nizhny Tagil-39 |
9,920 |
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|
Trjochgorny ( Трёхгорный ) |
Chelyabinsk Oblast (300 km southwest of Chelyabinsk , 5 km south of Jurjusan ) |
Rosatom : development, production and maintenance of nuclear weapons code names: Slatoust-20, Slatousk-36, Treschinsk |
34,391 |
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|
Uglegorsk ( Tsiolkowski ) ( Углегорск (Циолковский) ) |
Amur Oblast (200 km north of Blagoveshchensk , 50 km north of Svobodny ) |
Ministry of Defense (space troops): Swobodny rocket launch site(until 2006), Vostochny Cosmodrome Code names: Swobodny-18 |
5,213 |
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|
Uralsky ( Уральский ) |
Sverdlovsk Oblast (35 km southeast of Yekaterinburg ) |
Ministry of Defense (Strategic Missile Forces ): Missile Base Codename: Kossulino-1 |
2,483 |
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|
Vlasikha ( Власиха ) |
Moscow Oblast (27 km west of Moscow ) |
Ministry of Defense (Headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces: central command point of the Russian nuclear forces ) |
26,339 |
|
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|
Widjajewo ( Видяево ) |
Murmansk Oblast (80 km northwest of Murmansk ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Northern Fleet submarine base |
7.004 |
|
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|
Vilyuchinsk ( Вилючинск ) |
Kamchatka Region (60 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ) |
Ministry of Defense ( Navy ): Submarine base of the Pacific Fleet Code name: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-50 |
24,434 (404) |
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Vozhod ( Восход ) |
Moscow Oblast (80 km northwest of Moscow ) |
Ministry of Defense : Military Communications Code Name : Novopetrovsk-2 |
1,935 |
|
Remarks:
1Cities in bold; others are urban-type settlements
2Total population of SATO: administrative center with subordinate settlements, if applicable, calculation 2006; Area in km², if known
3clickable; Link to map or satellite image
Formerly "closed cities" and areas of the Soviet Union outside of Russia
| Today's name | Former name | activity |
|---|---|---|
| Estonia | ||
| Paldiski | Base and training camp for nuclear submarines of the Soviet Navy | |
| Sillamae | Uranium mining | |
| Kazakhstan | ||
| Kurchatov | Semipalatinsk-21, Moscow-400 | Administrative center of the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons test site |
| Priosjorsk | Missile defense systems | |
| Stepnogor | Zelinograd-25, Makinsk-2 | biological weapons |
| Ukraine | ||
| Dnipropetrovsk (Russian Dnepropetrowsk ) | Dnepr (rocket) | |
| Schowti Wody (Russian Scholtyje Wody ) | Extraction and processing of uranium ore | |
| Balaklava (Russian Балаклава ) | Nuclear bunker for submarines | |
| Wylkowe (Russian Wilkowo ) | ||
| Lyubetsch -1 (Russian Lyubetsch-1 ) | Woodpecker | |
| Usyn (Russian Usin ) | Soviet Air Force Base of the Strategic Air Force | |
| Sevastopol | Most important naval base of the Black Sea Fleet | |
| Tschornomorske | garrison | |
| Uzbekistan | ||
| Kantubek | Aralsk-7 | biological weapons |
See also
Web links
Commons : Closed Cities - Collection of Images
- Order 508 of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 5, 2001 (Russian)
- The closed cities on mojgorod.ru (Russian)
- Secret Cities on globalsecurity.org (English)
- Trey Whittenton: Post-Soviet Transition and Russia's "Secret Cities" on a website of the San Diego State University (English)
- Otto Luchterhandt: Legal Nihilism in Action (with a description of the SATO from Soviet times to the present) From: Eastern Europe 7/2005
- Report of the Norwegian environmental organization Bellona on closed cities in Russia (English)
- Andrea Rehmsmeier : Behind the fence - Russia's forbidden cities. dradio.de, accessed on November 17, 2012 .