The world's attention has once again turned to the Oreshnik missile system, which Russia is using to attack Ukrainian cities. But few know exactly where these missiles are launched from. All Oreshnik launches are carried out from the Kapustin Yar test range, located in the steppes of the Astrakhan region, near the abandoned closed city of Znamensk.
A ghost city against the backdrop of high-tech weaponry
The Kapustin Yar test range has been operating since 1946 and has become the site for testing almost all Soviet and Russian missile programs. Today, it is used for strikes against Ukraine. However, the city of Znamensk, where the test range is based, is in a very neglected state. According to Business Insider, one can see unpaved roads, dilapidated wooden houses, abandoned buildings with broken windows, and sagging power lines here.
Such a contrast between advanced technology and desolation causes outrage even in Russian social networks. Launching one Oreshnik costs the Russian budget between $40 and $80 million. Users note that for this amount of money, the city could have been fully restored and provided with modern infrastructure.
How do the residents of Znamensk live?
Znamensk is a closed administrative territory surrounded by a reinforced concrete fence. The city is home to fewer than 30,000 people. Entry is possible only with special passes or local registration. For the residents, the test range is the main source of employment. According to locals, they try to abstract themselves from the war and claim that "nothing reaches them".
The residents barely notice the Oreshnik launches themselves, as the test site stretches over hundreds of square kilometers. The residents of Znamensk only hear a distant rumble, similar to thunder. During attacks by Ukrainian drones, sirens are sounded in the city, but this does not cause serious panic among the population.
Environmental consequences for Kazakhstan
In addition, neighboring Kazakhstan suffers from Russian tests. Russia rents part of the Kazakh steppes for the fall of spent rocket stages, which leads to soil and water pollution and regular steppe fires. This fact causes concern among local residents and ecologists.
Threat to Ukraine
From Kapustin Yar to the center of Kyiv is almost 1,100 kilometers. But, to cover this distance, the Russian Oreshnik needs no more than 15 minutes. As specialists from The War Zone wrote earlier regarding a strike on any other point in Ukraine. On June 12, there is a threat of a strike on Ukraine by the Oreshnik missile. Ukraine does not have the means to independently monitor the launches of this missile, but it still finds out about them. How this is achieved — read in the RBC-Ukraine article.