Shikhany

Shikhany (Russian: Шиханы) is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located 130 kilometers (81 mi) north of Saratov on the right bank of the Volga River Population: 6,067 (2010 Census);[2] 6,738 (2002 Census);[7] 12,763 (1989 Census).[8]. It has been a closed town since 1997, but lost this status on 1 January 2019.[9]

Shikhany Шиханы
Town[1]
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Shikhany
Shikhany Location of Shikhany Shikhany Shikhany (Saratov Oblast)
Coordinates: 52°07′N 47°12′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Saratov Oblast[1]
Founded	1928
Town status since	1996
Elevation	210 m (690 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[2]
• Total	6,067
• Estimate  (2018)[3]	5,560 (−8.4%)
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany
• Capital of	closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany
Municipal status
• Urban okrug	Shikhany Urban Okrug[4]
• Capital of	Shikhany Urban Okrug[4]
Time zone	UTC+4 (MSK+1 [5])
Postal code(s)[6]	412950
OKTMO ID	63746000001

History

Tomka gas test site was founded in 1928 and the town was granted town status in 1996. It has had closed status since 1997, the year that the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force.

Formerly, it was named after Count Vasily Orlov-Denisov, a hero of the 1812 Patriotic War.

The town comprises Shikhany-1 (the town proper), Shikhany-2 (military base), and Shikhany-4 (the arsenal).

Shikhany-2

After Volsk-17 became the town of Shikhany, Shikhany-2 (hitherto closed town of Volsk-18) officially became Shikhany-1. However, residents still refer to them as Shikhany-1 and Shikhany-2, respectively.

Main organizations include NII RHBZ (Scientific & Research Institute of Radiation and Chemical Defence), Russian: НИИ РХБЗ, НИИ Радиационной Химической и Биологической Защиты), the 1st Mobile Brigade of RHBZ, the RHBZ service base, "notch and scout" regiment, the Shikhansky chemical testing ground, the Privolzhskiy Military District Hospital, a polyclinic, school № 24, music school, 3 kindergartens, a hotel, an officer's House with attached cinema theater, and a forestry.

There's additionally a park with a pond located in the city, part of the former Count's Park (it was about 10,000 hectares, most of which has now reverted to wild forest). The military base garrison keeps ducks and swans in the pond and relocates swans inside the warmer facilities in winter.

The chemical facility was mentioned in the world′s media in the wake of the poisoning incident in Salisbury, England, in 2018, as an alleged source of the chemical substance in question.[10]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany[11]—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany is incorporated as Shikhany Urban Okrug.[4]

Shikhansky chemical testing ground

Shikhansky chemical testing facility (Шиханский полигон) keeps a large amount of military poison substances, mainly obsolete ones such as yperite. Based upon a report submitted by Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a British chemical weapons expert indicated that Shikhany was the source of the novichok agent used in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.[12] However, a chemical weapons site in Uzbekistan that was dismantled and decontaminated in 1999 may have been used to originally produce and test the agent.[13][14]

Ecological situation

Shikhany has a better ecology than the nearest big cities. Shikhany is surrounded by the forest and the chemical plant is not in use.

Infrastructure of Shikhany-2 is faintly developed, with only a couple of shops in the 20 km vicinity.

References

1. Charter of Saratov Oblast
2. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
3. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
4. Law #79-ZSO
5. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
6. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
7. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
8. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
9. Путин упразднил упоминавшееся в «деле Скрипалей» ЗАТО Шиханы
10. "Agent used in Salisbury made at Russia's Shikhany military research base: Times". Reuters. April 6, 2018.
11. Государственный комитет Российской Федерации по статистике. Комитет Российской Федерации по стандартизации, метрологии и сертификации. №ОК 019-95 1 января 1997 г. «Общероссийский классификатор объектов административно-территориального деления. Код 63 500», в ред. изменения №278/2015 от 1 января 2016 г.. (State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. Committee of the Russian Federation on Standardization, Metrology, and Certification. #OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 Russian Classification of Objects of Administrative Division (OKATO). Code 63 500, as amended by the Amendment #278/2015 of January 1, 2016. ).
12. "Novichok: nerve agent produced at only one site in Russia, says expert". The Guardian. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018.
13. "Russian spy: What are Novichok agents and what do they do?". BBC News. March 13, 2018.
14. "World: Asia-Pacific: US dismantles chemical weapons". BBC News. August 9, 1999.