[strategofr]

They won't all be opened up. Or perhaps I should say, I'm sure there will be quite a number of Russian cities & towns that will remain sealed against external access for security reasons. I referred specifically to research facilities involved in biological warfare and other capabilities. I don't know if these are classified in this same "military town" group.

[GSlob]

There used to be a difference between "military town" [voennyi gorodok] and "closed town" [zakrytyi gorod]. The first would be a military encampment, pure and simple, while the second would be a more or less isolated [hence separate] town or city with important defense production or research facilities. Sometimes these facilities were sited in "open" cities, like Khrunichev airspace plant in western Moscow.

[alloysteel]

Oh, donno now, no telling if Russia MIGHT need just this sort of fortified cities if things get a little out of control over there sometime.

Communist or not, Russians are still the most frighteningly paranoid people on earth. This sort of "army town" philosophy is right in line with a sort of comfort zone they have established for themselves going back to the days of Genghis Khan.

[maestro]

?.......BIRD-FLU scare.....Opening Up the Closed Military Cities of Russia
......?

[Chode]

ah yes, the CharmSchools...

[WLR]

One of the less ominous reasons these towns are not opened up is the protection of Soldier's and Scientists families. These towns have a Chain of Command, Law and Order at a time a lot of places in Russia are like the Roaring 20's with Capone like Gangsters running wild. Like everyplace there are bad guys but you can bet the farm if some outsider shows up trying to muscle their way around they will find themselves quickly at the unhappy end of more than just a few AKs.

A physician I knew was living just outside a Military Town in a small municipality. She tried to move her clinic. In the middle some local city functionary decided he needed a new girl friend and she was given a choice either go out with this guy or sit in the middle of the move with no permits and therefore no place to practice. She is an educated adult women in her m's and told him to pound sand. Things got pretty nasty. I suggested she contact the Local Base Commander as she was known and had done a lot for Russian soldiers injured in Afghanistan/ She was still treating many of them who lived in her area for free after they were out of the service. She informed me a few days later that the city fellow showed up at her door looking pretty rough around the edges, He brought her the now approved permits and paperwork... and was quite polite.

W

[RusIvan]

There are still 952 of these currently in operation, ==

It is too much. Probably your number includes military bases as GLob told you already. I never heard that the military bases opened in any countries. But special research towns like Korolev under Moscow already opened.

Some wouldn't be. Like Arzamas-16(Sarov) which is nuclier research town like Los Alamos laboratory.
Some like A-Tomsk or Zheleznogorsk under Kranoyarsk you wouldn't like to open yourself. They had inside so much of radioactive matherials that better to guard them all times.

I referred specifically to research facilities involved in biological warfare and other capabilities.==

Biological warefare? IMHO Russia doesn't have such research except antidot reaserches against biological agents.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Interesting thread-ping.