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Hidden Cities: What are the untold stories behind closed Soviet towns?
During the Soviet era, due to Cold War tensions, many cities and towns became so-called "closed towns," where strict travel and residence restrictions existed between residents and the outside world. Entry to these areas usually requires special permits, and these places create a veil of mystery to outsiders.
Closed towns may be completely missed on standard maps, and their existence is often only known in classified documents.
The establishment of these towns stems from deep considerations of national security, and many closed towns are filled with facilities related to military, industry or scientific research. For example, Ozyorsk (now known as Chelyabinsk-65) is recorded as a closed town with a plutonium production plant, while Sillamäe is known for its uranium enrichment plant. Such cities are almost closed to all non-residents, and even among citizens they require specific entry permits. These restrictions existed not only within the Soviet Union, but were also widely implemented among Eastern communist countries.
These closed towns are sometimes completely invisible to the outside world, lacking signage and road maps. Even the postal service is managed in a specific way, with mail usually sent to closed towns via the nearest large city and specific postal codes. For example, the actual location of Arzamas-16 is in the Republic of Moldova, while Arzamas is in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, a distance of 75 kilometers.
People entering the closed towns are subject to strict document checks and security checks, and outsiders must even obtain explicit permission to visit.
Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, some closed towns continue to exist today. In modern Russia, these places are officially called "closed administrative territorial forms" (ЗАТО). According to Russian authorities, Russia now has 44 publicly recognized closed towns with a total population of about 1.5 million. 75% of them are managed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, and the rest are managed by Rosatom. Although the number of these towns has decreased significantly since the mid-1990s, some still retain entry restrictions, especially for foreign investors, requiring prior permission to enter these cities.
“Mailbox” was an informal Soviet-era name for smaller, factory-sized secret facilities that often involved strict surveillance and restrictions.
Over time, stories of these closed towns and the lives of their inhabitants spread. Although many closed towns have relatively rich material conditions and convenient living, they often have to bear greater social pressure. Residents who work in these places often receive higher wages and benefits, but that comes with tacit protection from the outside world.
The influence of this lifestyle continues to this day. Life in closed towns is completely disconnected from the outside world, and people's historical memories are mostly filled with longing for the past and confusion about the future. The story of the closed town is full of color. In this once authoritarian climate, can the people truly gain the freedom they seek?
