Bochkareva I. A. Key Objects of the Nuclear Legacy of the Soviet Nuclear Project: Lake Karachay

Irina A. Bochkareva
Candidate of Historical Sciences, South Ural Technological University
Chelyabinsk, Russia
E-mail: bochkareva_1969@mail.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-3595-2963

 Download | Back to the Content № 4. 2022

UDC 94(470.55)“19”
DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2022-1-4-46-53

ABSTRACT. The article considers the formation of Russis’s nuclear-industrial complex in the light of radioecological consequences. The USSR atomic project is known to have played a major role in the history of our country in the second half of the 20th century, largely determining its political and socio-economic development. The main result of its implementation was the creation of the country’s nuclear shield, which made it possible to ensure the defense capability and national security of our state, which has not lost its relevance today. Along with this, the Soviet nuclear program gave rise to a whole range of problems, including those in the field of ecology and environmental protection, and led to many unforeseen long-term consequences. On the example of the enterprises of the nuclear complex of the Urals, and, first of all, the chemical plant «Mayak» (now the production association «Mayak»), which played a key role in the creation of atomic weapons, the reasons for the emergence of nuclear and radiation legacy are identified, the environmental consequences and risks associated with it are assessed, and the content of measures to eliminate them is analyzed. Given that the radioecological problems of the development of the nuclear industry are still acute, the experience of the past is especially in demand. Further study of the complex of issues related to the nuclear legacy and the ongoing efforts to resolve them will make it possible to supplement the existing understanding of the content and consequences of the implementation of the domestic uranium project, the history of Russia and its regions affected by the activities of nuclear enterprises, as well as take a fresh look at the possibilities and risks of development of the nuclear industry.

KEYWORDS: soviet nuclear project, nuclear and radiation legacy, nuclear industry, history of the Urals, environment radioactive contamination

For citation: Bochkareva I. A. Key Objects of the Nuclear Legacy of the Soviet Nuclear Project: Lake Karachay // Historical Geography Journal. 2022. Vol. 1. № 4. P. 46–53.

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