Russia , a closed town that serves as the headquarters of the
Northern Fleet in Russia's
Murmansk Oblast, 2010 Russia has the largest number of closed cities globally. The policy governing these cities underwent significant changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The adoption of a new constitution for the Russian Federation in 1993 prompted substantial reforms to the status of closed cities, which were subsequently renamed "closed administrative-territorial formations" (or ZATO, from the Russian acronym, ).
Municipally, all such entities have the status of urban
okrugs, as mandated by federal law. There are 44 publicly acknowledged closed cities in Russia with a total population of approximately 1.5 million people. Seventy-five percent are administered by the
Russian Ministry of Defense, with the remainder under the administration of
Rosatom. It is believed that about 15 additional closed cities exist, but their names and locations have not been publicly disclosed by the Russian government. Some Russian closed cities are open to foreign investment, but entry for foreigners requires a permit. An example of international cooperation in these cities is the Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI), a joint effort of the United States
National Nuclear Security Administration and
Minatom, which involves, in part, the cities of
Sarov,
Snezhinsk, and
Zheleznogorsk. The number of closed cities has been significantly reduced since the mid-1990s. However, on 30 October 2001, foreign travel was restricted without exception in the northern cities of
Norilsk,
Talnakh,
Kayerkan,
Dudinka, and
Igarka. Russian and Belarusian citizens visiting these cities are not required to have permits; however, local courts have been known to deport Belarusian citizens. The number of closed cities in Russia is defined by government decree. The reasons for restrictions vary. These cities include:
Altai Krai •
Sibirsky Amur Oblast •
Tsiolkovskyrenamed from Uglegorsk in 2013 and known as Svobodny-18 () before that, site of the second Russian trial
cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, also called
Svobodny Cosmodrome.
Arkhangelsk Oblast •
Mirnysite of
Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
Astrakhan Oblast •
Znamenskformerly known as Kapustin Yar-1 (), home to the
Kapustin Yar (air base) and the
"4th Missile Test Range".
Republic of Bashkortostan •
Mezhgoryeformerly known as Ufa-105 () and Beloretsk-15 (), home to the 129th Directorate of strategic subjects' technical supply and maintenance.
Chelyabinsk Oblast , a closed town in Russia's
Chelyabinsk Oblast, 2006 •
Lokomotivny •
Ozyorskformerly known as Chelyabinsk-65 () and Chelyabinsk-40 (), nuclear material processing and recycling plant. •
Snezhinskformerly known as Chelyabinsk-70 (), site of one of the two major Russian Federal Nuclear Centers. •
Zelenogorskformerly known as Krasnoyarsk-45 ().
Perm Krai , a closed "
urban-type settlement" in Russia's
Perm Krai, 2010 •
Zvyozdnyformerly known as Perm-76 ().
Primorsky Krai •
Fokinoformerly known as Shkotovo-17 ().
Pskov Oblast •
Smuravyevo Saratov Oblast •
Mikhaylovsky •
Shikhany •
Svetly Sverdlovsk Oblast •
Lesnoyformerly known as Sverdlovsk-45 The largest locality within such territory is the city of
Norilsk.
Estonia There were two closed cities in
Estonia:
Sillamäe and
Paldiski. As with all the other industrial cities, their population was mainly Russian-speaking. Sillamäe was the site for a chemical factory that produced
fuel rods and nuclear materials for the Soviet
nuclear power plants and
nuclear weapon facilities, while Paldiski was home to a
Soviet Navy nuclear submarine training centre. Sillamäe was closed until Estonia regained its independence in 1991; Paldiski remained closed until 1994, when the last Russian warship left.
Tartu, home to
Raadi Airfield, was partially closed. Foreign academics could visit the
University of Tartu, but had to sleep elsewhere.
Kazakhstan , which became a closed city in the
Kazakh SSR of the
Soviet Union after it began serving the
Soviet space program in 1955. Although it is now within the
Kyzylorda Region of
Kazakhstan, it has been leased to
Russia until 2050. Accordingly, those who visit the city require a permit from Russia's
Roscosmos, which manages the Soviet-era
Baikonur Cosmodrome. •
Baikonur, a town close to the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan, leased to and administered by Russia. Non-resident visitors require prior approval from the Russian authorities to visit both the town of Baikonur itself and the Cosmodrome. Note that said approval is completely separate from just having a Russian visa. Some tourism organisations in Kazakhstan provide services in organising trips to visit Baikonur and the museums contained there. •
Priozersk, Kazakhstan •
Kurchatov, Kazakhstana former closed city that was known by its postal code, Semipalatinsk-21.
Kyrgyzstan •
Mailuu-Suu,
Jalal-Abad Region, a formerly closed
uranium mining town, once known as "Mailbox 200".
Latvia •
Karosta, a former Russian and Soviet naval base. •
Skrunda-1, a former Soviet communications base. Currently used by the Latvian Armed Forces as of 2022.
Moldova Moldova has one partially closed city: the village of
Cobasna (
Rîbnița District), which is under the control of the unrecognized state of
Transnistria internationally recognized as part of Moldova. The village, on the left bank of the
Dniester river, contains
a large Soviet-era ammunition depot guarded by Russian troops. Only the Transnistrian and Russian authorities have detailed information about this depot.
Ukraine Ukraine had eighteen closed cities, including: •
Dniproformer closed city, a major center of Soviet
aerospace industry. • Simferopol-28,
Crimeaformer closed town, a Soviet military space mission control center. •
Kamianskeformer closed city,
largest uranium processing factory in former Soviet Union. •
Feodosia-13, Crimeaformer closed town, a central storage of nuclear weapons. •
Balaklava,
Sevastopol – former closed town, the location of a submarine repair plant. • Chernobyl-2,
Kyiv Oblast – former closed town, the location of the receiving unit of the
Duga radar. • Liubech-1,
Chernihiv Oblast – former closed town, the location of the transmission unit of the Duga radar. ==In other countries==