INTERESTING FACTS (by http://sometimes-interesting.com)

The Most Contaminated Place on Earth: Chelyabinsk-40

We’re quite familiar with the lore of various secret United States nuclear facilities; their storied history and operations being shrouded in secrecy has fascinated us for decades. What we seldom hear about are the secret nuclear laboratories and test facilities of our greatest Cold War opponent – the former U.S.S.R. One particular installation – Chelyabinsk-40 – was the first Soviet plutonium production complex and the site of three separate massive nuclear incidents. Until recently this area was not on maps and the Russian government denied its existence. No visitors were allowed under any circumstances, and all residents worked in the facility (later referred to as Chelyabinsk-65).  With the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90′s, Chelyabinsk-40 was finally publicly acknowledged by the Russian government and granted town status.  In 1994, Chelyabinsk-65 was finally given a name: Ozyorsk.