Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast Explained

En Name:Lesnoy
Ru Name:Лесной
Coordinates:58.6333°N 106°W
Map Label Position:right
Image Coa:Coat of Arms of Lesnoy (Sverdlovsk oblast).png
Federal Subject:Sverdlovsk Oblast
Adm City Jur:closed administrative-territorial formation of Lesnoy
Adm Ctr Of1:closed administrative-territorial formation of Lesnoy
Inhabloc Cat:Town
Urban Okrug Jur:Lesnoy Urban Okrug
Mun Admctr Of:Lesnoy Urban Okrug
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Sergey Cherepanov
Pop 2010Census:50363
Pop 2010Census Rank:316th
Established Date:1947
Postal Codes:624200
Dialing Codes:34342

Lesnoy (Russian: Лесно́й) is a closed town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located 254km (158miles) north of Yekaterinburg on the banks of the Tura River. Population:

History

It was founded in 1947 when Plant 418 was constructed to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) for the production of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons were also assembled there. In 1954, it became the closed town of Sverdlovsk-45 to support production of nuclear weapons.[1]

Sverdlovsk-45 remained secret until President Boris Yeltsin decreed in 1992 that such places could use their historical names; the town had not appeared on official maps until then.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of the administrative divisions, it is, together with one work settlement and three rural localities, incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Lesnoy—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[2] As a municipal division, the closed administrative-territorial formation of Lesnoy is incorporated as Lesnoy Urban Okrug.[3]

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Making the Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin, Cochran, Thomas et al., Westview Press, 1995.
  2. Law #30-OZ
  3. Law #85-OZ