Seversk

November 23–24, 2007

A few kilometres from Tomsk sits what was formerly the secret town of Tomsk- 7, nowadays simply called the closed town of Seversk.

Seversk closed administrative-territorial formation

It’s easy to get here, yet it’s hard to get inside. The locals’ pride and joy — the longest guarded perimeter in Russia, made up of three rows of barbed wire, between which there are armed border guards on patrol round-the-clock. All vehicles are searched as they enter, passengers have to pass through a checkpoint.

You need to apply for an access pass 45 days before you intend to arrive. The strictness of these rules rules is owed to fact that here they enrich uranium and make military-grade plutonium. Another reason is that the XXI century has arrived here.

The first thing that leaps out at you is that all the street sweepers are Russian.

There are loudspeakers hanging everywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they’re all still in working order — after all, we do need some way of declaring a general mobilisation.

The quality of your work determines your quality of life

Only a few signs have been changed here in recent times.

And not all of them either. If it weren’t for the odd insulated window unit, you could plausibly think this photograph was taken round about 1984.

Or how about this — not even in Pripyat has such beauty been preserved.

There’s also an enormous statue of Lenin here. The locals affirm that it’s the biggest in the world. This rumour most probably started because the Lenin in Seversk barely has any pedestal to speak of.

All of the drivers keep to the speed limit, pedestrians are fined for jaywalking and local bobbies don’t take bribes.

Although they do have drugs here.

Say NO to drugs

And gamma radiation around the pond that never freezes over.

There’s a sign with the standard warning about falling icicles on practically every buildling.

The local zoo is the most inaccessible in the entire country.

The animals are not hungry!

This is exactly what an exemplary 1950s town should look like.

And here is the secure perimeter itself. On the left — dachas within the town limits, on the right — sentinels strolling with automatic rifles, further to the right — a world packed with enemies.