The big secrets of the Ural mountain "Yamantau": a secret underground city, very worrisome for politicians and the US military. Reserve capital (Putin's underground city - Yamantau) Yamantau underground complex
This place is perhaps one of the most mysterious corners of Russia. There are many amazing legends, unthinkable tales and rumors about him.
In the very heart of the South Ural Mountains, in the middle of the state South Ural Nature Reserve, surrounded by massive mountain ranges, clean rivers and lakes, swamps and taiga forests, there is a mysterious powerful hill.
The name of the mountain located in Bashkiria is Yamantau. Where is the mountain? What unsolved mysteries does she conceal in herself? What kind Interesting Facts related to her? Information about this and much more is presented in the article.
general information
The Bashkirs often put a certain meaning in the names of geographical objects. So, Yamantau is translated into Russian as "evil mountain". It came into use because the slopes of this mountain range are very swampy and littered with kurumnik (a pile of large rock debris). There has never been an opportunity to graze any livestock. In addition, among the local Bashkirs there are beliefs that horses died here while climbing the mountain, and there were many bears on its slopes.
The highest Mountain peak The Southern Urals and the fact that there is supposedly a secret object in it. In the opinion of the majority, an underground city has been built inside the massif, which, in the event of any global cataclysms, can shelter the leaders of the state and their entourage for a long time.
Geography of Mount Yamantau and climatic conditions
Yamantau is the highest point in the Southern Urals. It stretches in the Beloretsk region of Bashkiria. In the southeast direction, 2 kilometers from it, there is the Maly Yamantau peak (height 1512.7 m). These places, as noted above, belong to the territory of the state reserve.
The town of Mizhgirya (formerly Beloretsk) is located 10 kilometers west of the Yamantau foot. The geographical coordinates of Mount Yamantau are 54 ° 15 ′ north latitude and 58 ° 06 ′ east longitude.
The total annual precipitation is 700-1100 mm. The height of the snow cover reaches 80-100 centimeters and on average lies within 180-205 days. Average temperatures in January are from -14 to -17 degrees Celsius, and in mid-summer (July) from +9 to +16 degrees.
Description of Yamantau mountain
The mountain range stretches from north to west. Its length is 5000 meters, width - 3000 m. The terrain is characterized by high-altitude zoning of landscapes. The mountain is very large in size. In other words, it is an unimaginably huge pile of stones. The summit is a relatively flat large rocky plateau. In the very center of the moss-covered area, a rather modest concrete obelisk is erected in honor of the soldiers who died during the Second World War. Nearby there is a small lake formed in a crater from an explosion of those times. A magnificent view opens up from the mountain, especially towards the central part of the South Urals.
The forest vegetation ends at about 1000 meters. Further up, all 640 meters are covered with stones. The mountain is almost round in shape. There is another hill near Yamantau, which many call "Small Yamantau". Therefore, the entire mountain range from a great distance looks like a "two-headed" one.
The height of Yamantau Mountain is 1640 meters. Many ridges adjoin it, including Nary, Yusha, Mashak and Kapkala. Sometimes, even in summer, snow lingers on its top. At the very bottom there is a mining and processing complex, to which there is a road and a railway. The complex and what is inside the mountain are served by local residents of the closed town of Mizhgirya (population 16,000). A road with checkpoints leads from the main road to the city.
Geological features
Yamantau is unique place for scientific experiments with elementary particles, gravitational fields, etc. The Earth's crust here has almost the maximum values.
Also, there are no geological faults under the mountain, and the rocks have a fairly high hardness and density. All this is capable not only of filtering out unwanted cosmic radiation, but also itself is capable of affecting time and space.
Neighborhood
The height of Yamantau Mountain is not very high. The view from it is quite beautiful (depending on the location of the observation point). The Ural ridges Mashak and Nara are clearly visible from the mountain. In the distance Bolshoi Shelom and Iremel are visible, as well as many other peaks, practically indistinguishable from each other, because there are a lot of them, and they stretch far. The surrounding landscapes from the top of Yamantau are much more impressive in good sunny weather, when there is no haze.
The landscapes of the saddle located between Yamantau and Small Yamantau - between two huge kurumniks are very picturesque and fabulous. It has a magnificent tundra, where you can find delicious and juicy blueberries. The Mashak ridge is visible ahead. From the same saddle, as some tourists note, you can see another object of unknown origin. This is a large ditch running right in a kurumnik on one of the slopes of Yamantau. This picture surprises many. When you stand on the saddle, you see how a straight ditch made in the stones descends from the top of the mountain. It is visible only from a great distance. What is it for? Another mystery.
Climbing routes
There are several paths to the top, bypassing the restricted area. Solitary ascents are usually carried out from the side of Mizhgirya, through the villages of Tatly and Kuzelga. This is the shortest path. You can also climb to the top from the side of the Nara ridge, which allows you to bypass the restricted area on the left side.
The safest route is from the village of Nura, on the eastern side of the massif. It is completely impossible to climb from the southern side of the mountain, since these places are very swampy.
About legends and myths
The local population knows very well where Mount Yamantau is. Legends and stories about it are circulating among the inhabitants. In the epic of the Bashkir people, the mountain is associated with the hero Shulgan, who is the older brother of another hero - the Urals. Shulgan in myths is presented as a negative hero who violates the customs of his ancestors and becomes the ruler of the world of the dungeon.
The name of the Kapovaya cave, which is the largest in the Southern Urals, is also associated with the same name. It is also known under a different name - Shulgan-tash cave. There is also the Shulganka river with water that was once considered dead. And the place where the hero passed into the underworld is not a river or a cave. This is Mount Yamantau. There is one interesting detail that Shulgan, who passed into the underworld, remains alive. In Bashkir myths, this mountain acts as a kind of portal through which a living person can go to a parallel world. It is interesting to note that the word "shul", from which the name Shulgan arose, in the Bashkir language literally has the following translation - "water that is not suitable for drinking" (otherwise "dead water").
The main mystery of the highlands
At the end of the twentieth century, archaeologists during excavations in the South Urals discovered a unique civilization that reached an unprecedented level of development for its time (Sintashta, Arkaim, etc.). Scientists called it the "Country of Cities". The results of subsequent studies suggested that the ancestors of Indo-European peoples inhabited these places. A surprising similarity was also found between the description in the Iranian sacred texts of the country of Aryana Vadzhi with the most ancient archaeological monuments found in the Urals.
And according to some Indo-Iranian myths, this mountainous country was ruled by the bright Yima - “the king of the golden age”. In myths, he has other names: "the first who died", "the lord of the underworld." It turns out that a more accurate translation of the name of this natural object is "the mountain of the lord of the underworld." This assumption echoes the Bashkir myth of Shulgan (a summary is presented above in the article) and many others ...
So, one of the main mysteries of this "Country of Cities" is its unexpected sunset (disappearance). In these places, no traces of an attack, natural disasters or epidemics were found. It's just that the residents at some point collected all their property and, leaving cleanliness and order in the cities, disappeared. On this occasion (where they went and why they left their habitable places), many hypotheses are put forward. Given that the king of this mysterious country was the first to pass in other world, this begs the question - did he not lead the others along the same path?
What the press writes
Mount Yamantau (Bashkiria) is shrouded in many secrets. In April 1996, the New York Times reported on a mysterious military base under construction in Russia. The news reported that Russia was building a giant military complex underground in the Ural Mountains. The complex located inside the mountain near the town of Beloretsk is approached by a highway and a railway. It is also written that the work carried out involved great amount workers.
The same press cited the words of some Russian officials, who each interpreted the purpose of the facility under construction in their own way: a repository of state treasures, ore is being mined, a bunker for the government and a reserve of food products in case of a nuclear war. There was no unequivocal answer to the questions.
Through the eyes of tourists
Mount Yamantau is often visited by tourists. Every year they climb its summit. According to their stories, it became noticeable that since the beginning of 2000, measures to protect the territories of the mountain range have been sharply tightened. It is located on the territory of a state reserve, but the surroundings are patrolled not only by gamekeepers, but also by the military. Once here, you must be careful not to make fires or make noise. In general, you should not betray your presence. Otherwise, you can meet with special forces.
As for the massif itself, those who reached the top of Mount Yamantau, a photo of which are presented in our article, say that it is a huge rocky plateau, in the center of which there is a small pile of rocky outliers. From some sources it is known that until the beginning of the 90s of the XX century, a military unit stood at this place, serving special equipment and a helipad. According to the stories of some eyewitnesses, at the top of the mountain after the presence of the military were the ruins of some buildings and piles of rusty iron.
Tourists are also familiar with the mines that lead deep into the mountains. However, most of them are of the opinion that, most likely, uranium mines are located here.
About the secret city
According to the stories of some "witnesses", the mines are not at all located in these places. A real underground city was built under the Yamantau mountain. One person who calls himself a builder says that the construction of the underground base really began in the Soviet years. This facility was designed and developed by the Construction Directorate-30, which was subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The administration is based in ZATO Mizhgirya (formerly the city of Solnechny and Beloretsk-16). The aforementioned construction department specializes in the construction of large structures and facilities for surface and underground placement. In this area, it is one of the largest construction companies.
The construction activities of this underground city were completed around 2002. Many noticed that it was at this time that the visits of the head of the Russian government to Abzakovo became more frequent. Since then, work has been carried out in the area of the complex, where the enhanced security of the entire surrounding area has been installed.
According to some reports, the underground city is designed to accommodate 300 thousand people at the same time. The necessary infrastructure has been created underground in the complex: a life support system has been established, communications have been connected. Experts believe that people can be in such conditions for at least six months. Moreover, they will live without going to the surface. Another person, who also calls himself a builder, says that the underground city of Mount Yamantau consists of several mines (each 30 meters in diameter) with a total length of about 500 km.
There is still no official explanation about the purpose of the construction of a secret underground facility in Yamantau, and why such security measures have been taken here.
Some justified versions
It is possible that the underground palaces of Yamantau hide some secret production or research facility. Indirectly, this version is confirmed by the fact that there is another closed town on the border with the reserve. It is often assumed that the object under the mountain is the site of secret scientific research. This version makes sense. Today it is known that physics laboratories in last years go deep underground. Mountainous terrain is the most convenient option. For example, not far from Elbrus in the North Caucasus, in a rock at a depth of 2 kilometers from the surface, Russian scientists have been working for several years to study one of the unusual and mysterious particles - neutrinos. Several facts indicate that similar work can be carried out under the largest mountain in the South Urals. For example, high-voltage transmission lines are suitable for the object.
Another version is even more plausible. Since 1952, nuclear ammunition has been produced at the Instrument-Making Plant in the town of Trekhgorny. Perhaps the products of this plant are stored near Yamantau. This version is the most probable, since due to its remoteness from large settlements, the mountain may well provide security. Let us recall the coordinates of Mount Yamantau: the city of Mizhgirya is located 10 km from it. There are no other large settlements nearby. In addition, in case of accidental detonation, the rock mass can prevent radioactive dust from entering the atmosphere.
There is another interesting version. Mount Yamantau may become a new "ark" in case of any global catastrophe. But this will take place only with the proper development of the infrastructure of this area. Now Yamantau is not yet ready for such a role. Most likely, today's main purpose of the classified object under the mountain is a large military warehouse.
Finally
The analysis of Indian myths carried out by researchers suggests even the most incredible: under a mysterious mountain they are trying to get "something" again, which will allow humanity to gain strength for further life and creation. All of humanity will not be able to use this “something”, but for the elect it will turn out to be salvation.
However, even the residents of the town of Mizhgirya still do not know exactly what is hidden in the mountain depths. It is a fact that this object has a status of special secrecy, and everything else is speculation and speculation.
And the Republic of Bashkortostan in particular, its height is slightly more than 1640 m.
View of the western slope of Yamantau from the Nara ridge
origin of name
Literally translated from the Bashkir "Yaman" is bad (evil / bad), "Tau" is a mountain. There are quite a few options why the mountain is called that. According to one version, a large number of bears live around the mountain, which in turn caused a lot of problems for local residents. This is really so: the area is strewn with footprints, droppings, and mountain meadows are pretty trampled. According to another version, due to the steep slopes of the mountain with a large amount of barrow and swamps, which did not allow grazing livestock, which led to the appearance of such a name.
But in my opinion, the mountain got its name due to a combination of factors. This is a large number of wild animals, and a difficult slope, and a rather closed location of the mountain - it is like a traitor in the center of a round dance, and difficult-to-pass taiga around, and snow that does not melt until August on the northern side of the mountain, and rapidly changing weather ...
Description of the area where Yamantau Mountain is located
Yamantau is located on the territory of the South Ural Nature Reserve in the Beloretsk District of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Getting into its territory is officially quite problematic. But even if everything goes well, there are very few options for routes - like types of sausage during perestroika, that is, very few, and you will not find Yamantau on that list.
To the west of the mountain is the Nara ridge, from the north - the Mashak ridge, in the east - the Kumardak ridge and from the south the Beliatur and Yusha ridges. Mount Yamantau itself is comfortably located in the center between these ridges, for reliability, it is also fenced off from the outside world by the Bolshoi and Maly Inzer rivers, which originate on the eastern and western sides, respectively, from the slopes of the highest point of the Southern Urals.
To the south of the mountain there is a city - ZATO Mizhgirya, which is a closed city. This city became closed due to a large secret construction project that began in the 80s of the XX century.
And if we add up all the above facts, putting the latter at the head, we conclude that Mount Yamantau is closed for visits by ordinary tourists-uralovednikov.
Mount Yamantau
Mount Yamantau is a mountain with two peaks - Big Yamantau (1640.4 m) and Small Yamantau (1512.7 m). Both peaks are plateaus, each of which has a significant area and flat relief.
Up to a mark of 1000 - 1100 m from sea level, the slopes of the mountain are covered with mixed forest, in places with windbreaks, in places with alpine meadows and rocky outcrops. Above 1100 m, the slopes consist of a bunch of grass of various sizes, diluted with grass with flowers and moss, trees and bushes in any of their manifestations are absent.
Yamantau city. Hillside.
At the top you can find several springs with small lakes around you, but these are not all the finds and interesting things that can be contemplated at the top of the mountain. On the upper plateau, many human waste products are scattered - scrap metal, timber, remnants of a water supply system, a couple of small concrete foundations, a concrete helipad, wires and other construction rubbish, which, on the one hand, add charm to this place, and on the other hand, leave from contemplation of the beautiful light bitterness sediment.
Yamantau city. Peak.
Where did the trash come from at the top of Yamantau and what is so secret going on at this point in the Urals?
There are a lot of versions on the Internet about this. Personally, I counted a dozen versions of what is in / under this mountain, and each next version is even more amazing than the last: from a large military warehouse to a government bunker with a nuclear missile control center. Unfortunately, there is no answer to this question in our article, but there is no doubt that in the 1990s and 2000s serious construction activities were carried out in / on / around / near Yamantau.
How to get and visit Yamantau Mountain?
Yamantau is located 230 km in a straight line southeast of the city of Ufa and 50 km northwest of Beloretsk. You can get there by road to the closed city of Mizhhirya, but you must have a special permit - a pass. And even if you find yourself in the city, you can leave its territory only along the road on which you arrived. Another way is excluded, because the area is patrolled by both local huntsmen and the military, who are well trained in catching in the local forests those who should not be there.
Yamantau city. Peak.
But don't be upset! There are several wonderful and beautiful places from which you can contemplate Yamantau, for example, the Karatash ridge (better known as the Aigir town, after the name of the railway station in the Beloretsk district, near the village of Inzer), which can be reached by a regular train from Beloretsk or from Ufa.
GPS coordinates of the summit of Yamantau Mountain: 54.254478 N 58.104016 E.
Mount Yamantau is located in the Beloretsk region of the Republic of Bashkortostan. This is the highest point in the Southern Urals. At a distance of 2 kilometers from it there is another peak, which was named Malaya Yamantau (or Hare Mountain). It is slightly smaller in size. Both mountains are part of the South Ural Nature Reserve. But not only the record height and natural beauty made Yamantau famous. In the late 90s, centuries have passed around the world that the news that large construction work is underway under the mountain in Bashkiria, which were recorded on the images of American satellites. The US military then put forward two main versions: either a nuclear facility was hidden under the mountain, or a huge bunker was being built there. Several decades later, the secret of Mount Yamantau was never solved, and rumors and speculation gradually faded away. However, amateurs active rest continue to make attempts from time to time to climb the mountain, despite the fact that the area around it is guarded not only by the rangers, but also by the military.
The height of Yamantau mountain and other features
The highest point of Mount Yamantau is located at an altitude of 1640 meters. From the top of the mountain, you can gaze over the entire South Urals. From here you can clearly see the Mashak, Nara mountain ranges, which are found at the foot of the mountain, the Bolshoi and Maly Inzer rivers. For about six months the mountain is covered with a layer of snow, the thickness of which reaches 1 meter. In January, the average temperature in the area of the mountain is about 17 degrees below zero, and in summer - about 16 degrees with a plus sign.
From the Bashkir language "Yaman tau" is translated as "evil mountain". It is noticed that the Bashkirs often gave names to various objects based on their practical application. Most likely, the same thing happened with the highest mountain in the South Ural region. In places its slopes were always littered with kurumnik (sharp boulders), which impeded grazing in these places. But there is another version with a mystical character. According to ancient legends, evil spirits live on the top of the misty mountain, who destroy the wanderers who decided to get to the top. The Bashkirs can even tell about several real cases when people disappeared without a trace near the mountain. There is also a Bashkir myth about the evil hero Shulgan. He kidnapped lonely travelers, dragged them into the Yamantau dungeon and turned them into ghosts. In ancient times, people believed that in grief there is a portal to the world of the dead.
Description of Mount Yamantau is pretty standard for the Bashkir lands. Part of the path from the foot of the mountain to the top is covered with dense forest. When the forest ends, solid stones and boulders begin. If you look at the mountain from the side, then it has a symmetrical domed shape. Near the large dome is Malaya Yamantau, which has a more triangular shape. The trough between the two peaks represents a very a nice place with a lot of vegetation, among which there are many blueberry bushes.
Underground city in Mount Yamantau
Sometimes Mount Yamantau in Bashkortostan is called the most mysterious place in Russia. There is every reason for this. Towards the end of the 90s of the last century, when Boris Yeltsin was the president of Russia, the Strategic Command of the US Armed Forces discovered large-scale construction activities in the area of the mountain in satellite images. Various assumptions were put forward. Some believed that a secret scientific laboratory was located in the mountain, others talked about the extraction of uranium ore, and still others talked about a food warehouse. But the most popular options were developing and storing nuclear weapons and building a bunker. Such authoritative American publications as New-York Times and Washington Post even wrote about this topic.
It is believed that not just a bunker is located in the mountain, but an entire underground city, designed for about 300 thousand people. Allegedly, there is all the necessary infrastructure and life support systems, which, in an emergency, will make it possible not to rise to the surface for at least six months. Experts have long denied the version of the Yamantau mountain bunker. But from time to time it continues to pop up. This theme has even been played up in the popular game Metro Exodus. According to the plot, the hero of the game is in a secret government bunker.
The special importance of the object is reinforced by the fact that the city of Mizhgirya, which is closest to the mountain, is closed. Outsiders cannot enter its territory. Currently, it has about 16 thousand inhabitants, some of whom are employed in a special base. Tourists who climbed the top of the mountain say that from it the mining and processing complex is clearly visible, from where railway tracks and a motor road lead directly down the mountain.
At the top of Yamantau there is an abandoned helipad and almost destroyed barracks - all this also testifies to the fact that the military was active here in the past. They even say that the reserve was created on this place not by chance, but in order to reduce the number of curious visitors to a minimum.
How to get there
Since Mizhgirya is a closed city, it is not possible to start climbing to the top of Yamantau from its side. But there is another path leading through the Mashak ridge. To get from Ufa to the ridge, you must first get to the village of Tikeevo, then proceed to the city of Sim, the village of Sharlash and the city of Katav-Ivanovsk. Travel time will be more than 5 hours. When entering the territory of the reserve, the car will need to be left and then walk.
Geographic coordinates of Mount Yamantau: latitude 54.259408, longitude 58.099908.
From the side of the Mashak ridge, there are hardly any soldiers guarding the inner part of the cave. But in any case, it will not be easy to get to the mountain, since the entire protected area is under the protection of gamekeepers, who have an undeniable right to demand to leave the territory.
The top of Big Yamantau
And also stories about, and.
Today we will talk about one of the most interesting secrets of Russia - the Yamantau base, which is hidden under the mountain of the same name, on the territory of the Southern Urals. For the first time, The New York Times told the world about the existence of a secret base; it wrote about a complex underground complex in the mountains, to which a road and railroad were connected. Despite the fact that the existence of the base has not been officially confirmed, incredible rumors about this secret facility continue to multiply.
For the media, the Yamantau base has become a real legend. Some of them say that an incredible stock of weapons and food is stored in underground tunnels, while others believe that a government bunker is located under the mountain in the Urals. The most incredible assumption indicates that an incredible underground city was founded under the mountain, which is designed to accommodate 300,000 people. No matter how bold and incredible the assumptions of the media may seem, one thing is definitely not in doubt - the area of Mount Yamantau is under the special protection of the state, in addition to the rangers, the military are constantly on duty there. Because of this, many tourists are wary of visiting the protected area; local residents claim that the area has been under special protection since the Cold War. Despite the fact that the area is officially closed to tourists and is carefully patrolled, some extreme lovers still manage to get into the closed area. The main rule that they recommend adhering to like-minded people is not to betray their presence in any way.
On all sides, Yamantau is surrounded by a natural landmark - the South Ural reserve. The main peaks of the mountain range are Bolshoi Yamantau, which is the largest peak in the Southern Urals, with a height of 1640 m, and Maly Yamantau (1510 m).
Locals, giving names to geographical objects, have always put a practical meaning in their name. Hence Yamantau is a "bad mountain", on the swampy slopes of which it was impossible to graze a herd.
In 1979, the closed city of Ufa-105 began to be built at the foot of the highest mountain in the Southern Urals. The city-forming enterprise was a certain Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Construction Department No. 30”, which specialized in large-sized underground construction. Naturally, then no open information there was no information about what was happening in this city. However, a little later, in the early 90s, rumors leaked to the press that an extensive underground shelter was being built in Mount Yamantau in case of a nuclear disaster. Actually, this story was told by the former first secretary of the Bashkir republican committee of the CPSU, who by that time was already retired and had nothing to lose, but he wanted to talk to visiting correspondents. The local incumbent authorities denied everything and announced that the mountain was an ordinary uranium mine, or maybe a food storage of the State Reserve. All these rumors died out by the end of the 90s, and the Ural underground builders dispersed from Ufa-105 (which by that time had become Beloretsk-16) throughout Russia and built, in particular, such notable objects as the Kazan and Chelyabinsk subways, as well as automobile tunnel in Ufa.
However, in 2002, the construction site in Mizhgirya was revived. This could be concluded at least by the fact that people returned to the city, and in the vicinity of Yamantau they began to actively stop tourists and send them away from the mountain. Many conspirators immediately concluded that it was not without reason that Putin chose ski resort Abzakovo is next to Yamantau, although there were no special ski attractions there. We got to the point that we calculated the potential capacity of the underground bunker. It turned out that the mountains would be enough for about 300 people to live there for six months. One way or another, but after 2007, Mizhgirya became empty again. Probably, the city-forming underground works were completed or frozen again. According to eyewitnesses, it is now possible to climb to the top of Yamantau only by goat paths, bypassing the checkpoint on the slopes. No one knows what these checkpoints are guarding.
The most inveterate conspirators claim that in Mizhgirya there is not just a super-bunker or a button to destroy everything, but the brain of the "dead hand" system. In the early 90s in the United States they wrote that a system of sensors was installed in the USSR that analyzed the background radiation, the presence or absence of radio communications, and so on. If there are signs that everyone has died, the central computer automatically makes a decision on a response demonstration of "Kuz'ka's mother". Then they came to the conclusion that such a system is still impossible.
On April 16, 1996, The New York Times reported on a mysterious military
base under construction in Russia: "In the course of a secret project reminiscent of
During the dire periods of the Cold War, Russia is building a gigantic military complex underground in the Ural Mountains, officials in the West and witnesses in Russia say. A huge complex, hidden inside Mount Yamantau in the Beloretsk region in the southern Urals, is approached by a railway and a highway. Thousands of workers are involved in the work. "
The same newspaper quotes the words of Russian officials. Everyone interprets the purpose of the facility in their own way: mining ore, storage of state values, food reserves, or even a bunker for the Russian government in the event of a nuclear war. But there is no definite answer.
Apparently, the deputies of the Russian parliament know very little about this construction site. "The Ministry of Defense declined to say whether parliament has been informed about the details of the project, such as its purpose and cost, noting only that the necessary military information is being provided.
tion ", - writes The New York Times.
During the discussion of the nature of this object, a certain Russian "internal source" said that the main bunker of the so-called "Perimeter" system was being built near Yamantau, duplicating the function of the "nuclear suitcase". This is an automatic missile system capable of delivering a massive blow to the attacking side in the event of a break in communication with the General Staff, when the "suitcase" and its owners are most likely destroyed. Moreover, the Perimeter system can be activated not only by the President of the Russian Federation, but also by any person who will be at that moment in the main bunker. Russian generals, in response to these rumors, announced that they were not required to report on Russia's strategic actions to ensure its own security.
Despite the closed access, tourists annually climb this mountain. They just say that since the beginning of the 2000s, measures to protect the surroundings of Yamantau have tightened.
“In the area of the Yamantau special facility, you must be careful not to make noise, not to make smoky fires and not to betray your presence in any other bad way. Otherwise, you risk getting acquainted with the life and traditions of special forces, presenting them with footage (money, knife, cigarettes), becoming hoarse, proving that you are not a spy from Alabama, and if in the end you are still released or handed over to the rangers, you are still you will be sincerely grateful to them ”, - tourists share their advice.
Those who made it to the top of Yamantau say that it is a huge rocky plateau, with a small pile of rocky outliers in the center. “At the top until the early 90s. there was a military unit serving a concreted helipad and military special equipment. After the military, at the top of the mountain there were ruins of former buildings, puddles of fuel oil and piles of rusted iron, ”eyewitnesses say.
We saw tourists and mines leading into the depths of the mountains. But most of the people who have visited Yamantau claim that uranium mines are most likely located there. “We found pool sections there, separated by concrete partitions. Most likely, they were intended for pre-transportation storage of uranium ore, ”says one of the tourists. “However, even the inhabitants of Mizhgirya, located at the foot of the mountain, do not fully know what is hidden in the depths of Mount Yamantau. The Yamantau facility has a status of high secrecy - this is a fact, everything else is just speculation and assumptions, ”says another.
Another widespread version is that an underground city for thousands of people is being built in Yamantau, where the country's leadership will move in the event of the Third World War. The city in the mountain is designed for the simultaneous residence of 300 thousand people (for example, 400 thousand people live in Magnitogorsk, and 1.5 million in Yekaterinburg).
The idea of a "spare" capital has long existed in different countries the world. In South Korea and Japan, the construction of backup cities has even begun, respectively, Seoul and Tokyo, where the leadership of states and major private institutions can quickly move in case of war or natural disaster.
“In the underground complex, which is divided into so-called“ houses ”, all the necessary infrastructure has been created: communications have been installed, life support systems have been established. All conditions have been created so that people can be in this underground city for at least six months without going to the surface, ”says an eyewitness. According to another witness, the complex consists of a system of mines with a diameter of 30 meters and a total length of about 500 km.
If we move away from the theories of conspirators, it is worth noting that there is hardly anything in the grief itself other than technical mines. The shelter can be located under the mountain, but the mountain range itself acts as a shield. Therefore, it makes no sense to make any calculations about the size of the bunker based on the volume of the mountain, as it was done in some media.
Mount Yamantau itself cannot be considered a bunker due to the fact that it does not guarantee safety from nuclear weapons. Several hits to one point, even with standard 100-150 Kt. warheads will pierce through the mountain and bring down tunnels under the mountain.
The excessive remoteness of Yamantau causes some bewilderment. In the event of a nuclear war, the main blow will be delivered suddenly in 10-20 minutes. It is possible to escape from the capital only through an underground network of tunnels or a helicopter or plane protected from the consequences of a nuclear explosion. And this is too risky, as the first strike will likely destroy the main flight infrastructure of the country. There are no operating airfields in Mizhgirya itself or in neighboring Beloretsk to accommodate even a small plane, not to mention the presidential Il-96-300. Therefore, the only option for the country's leadership to survive is secret bunkers in the Moscow region or in neighboring regions. Moreover, the main emphasis is on the word “secret”, since only secrecy can save the country's leadership in the event of a full-scale nuclear war.
The role of Yamantau as a doomsday ark is questionable, as the facility does not have adequate transport infrastructure. Near Yamantau there is only one narrow and winding highway P316, replete with steep cliffs and bridges over mountain rivers. Only one truck can block traffic along the entire route, which happens even in peacetime. The railway, which was built under the Soviet Union to the very Mizhgirya, is now abandoned. In many places, the rails have been removed, and the bridges are in a dilapidated state. The nearest airports are located in Ufa and Magnitogorsk, so the main hope is on the highway. However, in case of emergency without the support of engineering troops, the capacity of the route will drop to zero. Remember what happens in large cities at rush hour, when only one car breaks down on the road, and multiply this hundreds of times. Theoretically, you can walk from the highway to Yamantau, but in the taiga landmarks are easily lost, and in winter, without special equipment, the chances of getting somewhere tend to zero.
The Yamantau facility has very limited military coverage. It was the internal troops that would be able to ensure order during the evacuation, and the engineering units would guarantee the passage of equipment even with a weak transport infrastructure. Air defense could cover the mountain in case of an air attack. Meanwhile, the military units that once surrounded this facility are now abandoned.
Adapted from: orangesmile, akuaku, slavs.org, outdoor74, deadland
After I first visited the highest point of the Southern Urals - Mount Yamantau in 2001, I read with interest on the Internet about the secrets surrounding this peak. Immediately I wrote a report about my stay on the mountain and on the half-abandoned objects at the foot. I have written, I confess, stupidity, taking the foundation of one of the unfinished buildings next to the ventilation shafts for tanks for "pre-transport storage of uranium ore." Fifteen years later, I stumbled upon echoes of this nonsense, when a random fellow traveler began to tell me about how uranium is mined near Yamantau, referring to my own article.
I sincerely warn you that the following is the opinion of a common man in the street who has been to those parts more than once and collected all the facts available to the public.
View of Yamantau (Big and Small Yamantau) from the southwestern section of the South Ural reserve
A few words about the mountain itself - perhaps the most mysterious place in Russia. Yamantau is surrounded by many legends, rumors and tales, but the facts are as follows: in the very heart of the Southern Urals, in the middle of a specially created reserve, where entry to mere mortals is prohibited and where hikers are constantly caught by huntsmen, surrounded by mountain ranges, stone rivers, taiga and swamps, Mount Yamantau rises ... Low, just over 1600 meters. Snow sometimes lingers on the summit in summer, and at the bottom you can see a mining and processing complex with a road and railway entrance under the ground. This complex, and what may be inside the mountain, is served by the closed city of Mizhgirya, with a population of 16,000. The only road with checkpoints leads to the city from the highway.
Route P316 at the turn to Mizhgirya. End place tourist routes(if the huntsmen are not caught)
The clamor around the mountain was raised by the Americans in 1996, as they were outraged by the large-scale military construction there. Let me remind you that at that time Russia, like Ukraine now, was eating up one IMF loan after another, having no money to pay salaries to doctors and teachers. The explanation for this paradox is simple - it is very expensive to maintain mothballed underground structures in a non-emergency condition. It is necessary to constantly spend money on drainage, ventilation, monitoring of workings. For example, the maintenance of the mothballed underground automobile tunnel in neighboring Ufa, which is only 300 meters long, requires two hundred million rubles annually. By the way, the same Construction Department No. 30 from Mizhgirya was engaged in the construction of the tunnel. The country could not afford to either abandon a huge project, in which the Soviet Union invested hundreds of millions of people's rubles, or continue to waste them, having no return in terms of strategic security.
Nowadays, the popular consciousness strongly associates Yamantau with “Putin's Bunker” or “Doomsday Ark” for the Russian government elite. I dare to assure you, as of 2016, he cannot be either one or the other.
It is worth noting that there is hardly anything in the grief itself. The shelter can be located under the mountain, the mountain range itself acts as a shield. Therefore, it makes no sense to make any calculations about the size of the bunker based on the volume of the mountain, as it was done in some media.
Yamantau cannot be considered as Putin's bunker due to the fact that it does not guarantee nuclear safety. Several strikes at one point, even with standard 100-150 kiloton warheads, will pierce the mountain through and through and bring down tunnels under the mountain. In addition, the power of thermonuclear charges is not limited by anything other than delivery methods. For example, the Soviet thermonuclear Tsar Bomb, delivered by a modified Tu-95V bomber, had a capacity of 50 megatons. Such a bomb vaporizes a stone within a radius of four kilometers and brings down underground communications for tens of kilometers around. Let me remind you that the power of that explosion was artificially halved so that the bomber crew could fly to a safe distance.
Thermonuclear aerial bomb AN-602
Yamantau also cannot be Putin's bunker due to its remoteness. In the event of a nuclear war, the main blow will be delivered suddenly, in 10-20 minutes. It is possible to have time to escape from the capital only through an underground network of tunnels or a helicopter protected from the consequences of a nuclear explosion. The maximum flight range of the modified Mi-8, on which Putin flies, is no more than 600 kilometers, while Yamantau is twice as far. Relying on the option with transfers and refueling cannot be, as the first strike is likely to destroy the main flight infrastructure of the country. There are no operating airfields in Mizhgirya itself or in neighboring Beloretsk to accommodate even a small plane, not to mention the presidential Il-96-300. Therefore, the only option for the country's leadership to survive is secret bunkers in the Moscow region or in neighboring regions. Moreover, the main emphasis is on the word "secret", since only secrecy can save the country's leadership in the event of a full-scale nuclear war.
Section of the highway P316 "Mother-in-law's language"
Thirdly, Yamantau is not suitable for the role of the doomsday ark, since it does not have the appropriate transport infrastructure. There is only one narrow and winding track near Yamantau, replete with steep cliffs and bridges over mountain rivers. Only one truck can block traffic along the entire route, which happens even in peacetime. The railway, which was built under the Soviet Union to the very Mizhgirya, is now abandoned. In many places, the rails have been removed, and the bridges are in a dilapidated state. The nearest airports are located in Ufa and Magnitogorsk, so the main hope is on the highway. However, in case of emergency, without the support of the engineering troops, the throughput of the route will drop to zero. Think about what happens in big cities during rush hour, when only one car breaks down on the road, and multiply that by hundreds. Theoretically, you can walk from the highway to Yamantau, but in the taiga landmarks are easily lost, and in winter, without special equipment, the chances of getting somewhere tend to zero.
Clearing engineering vehicle IMR-1
And finally, Yamantau is not suitable for the role of a doomsday shelter, since the object does not have military cover. It was the internal troops that would be able to ensure order during the evacuation, and the engineering units would guarantee the passage of equipment even with a weak transport infrastructure. Air defense could cover the mountain in case of an air attack. Meanwhile, the military units that once surrounded this facility are now abandoned.
All these factors do not exclude the potentially more important role of Yamantau. This is evidenced by the fact that the railway was nevertheless built, there was an airport in Beloretsk, and the mountain was surrounded by numerous construction sites and military units. The fact that this infrastructure is now destroyed and is not being restored rather indicates that the government does not see a particular threat to which it is worth preparing.
However, nuclear war is not the only risk worth building and maintaining a large underground facility. There remains the possibility of a pandemic, a sudden geological or climatic catastrophe, the fall of a large meteorite or asteroid. For this, it would be worth developing the transport infrastructure, because the current one does not guarantee the salvation of anyone, except for the personnel of Yamantau, and, perhaps, the inhabitants of Mizhgirya.
What is the object under the Yamantau Mountain at the moment? There is a high degree of probability that there is one of the elements of the Perimeter system - a complex for automatic control of a massive retaliatory nuclear strike. In this case, in the vicinity of the mountain there should be missile silos with command missiles, as well as satellite communications complexes. However, the former and the latter can be mobile. In addition, it is possible that a secret research or production facility is located in the underground halls of Yamantau. This version is indirectly confirmed by the presence of another closed city on the border with the South Ural Reserve. In Trekhgorny, at the Instrument-Making Plant, since 1952, they have been producing nuclear weapons. It is possible that the products of this plant are stored near Yamantau. Personally, I think this version is the most probable, because, due to its remoteness, the mountain provides additional safety, and in case of accidental detonation, the mass of Yamantau will prevent radioactive dust from entering the atmosphere.
Let's summarize. Yamantau cannot claim to be Putin's bunker, although with proper development of the surrounding infrastructure, it has the potential to become something like an ark in the event of a global catastrophe. Now Yamantau is not ready for this role. Most likely (I am guided by the Okham blade principle), the current main purpose of the facility under the Yamantau Mountain is a military warehouse.
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