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| Yamantau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,640 m (5,380 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Mountains of Russia |
| Coordinates | 54°15′18″N58°06′13″E / 54.255°N 58.10365°E /54.255; 58.10365[1] |
| Geography | |
  Yamantau .jpg) Yamantau | |
| Country | Russia |
| Republic | Bashkortostan |
| District | Beloretsky |
| Protected area | South Ural Nature Reserve |
| Parent range | Ural Mountains |
| Yamantau | |
|---|---|
| Part ofArmed Forces of the Russian Federation | |
| Mezhgorye, Republic of Bashkortostan,Russia | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Underground military facility |
| Controlled by | Armed forces of the Russian Federation |
| Condition | Unknown |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 54°15′18″N58°06′07″E / 54.255°N 58.102°E /54.255; 58.102 |
| Site history | |
| Built | Under construction (2003) |
| In use | Unknown |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Mezhgorye |
| Occupants | Unknown |
Mount Yamantau, orYamantaw (Russian:гора Ямантау,Bashkir:Ямантау,romanized: Yamantaw) is a mountain in theUral Mountains, located inBeloretsky District,Bashkortostan,Russia. Standing at 1,640 metres (5,380 ft), it is the highest mountain in theSouthern Ural section, and lies within theSouth Ural Nature Reserve.
An extensive secretbunker complex has allegedly been built under Yamantau, perUnited States claims, by theRussian government or theRussian Armed Forces, similar to theCheyenne Mountain Complex in the U.S. state ofColorado.
The name of the mountain is derived fromYaman taw (Яман тау), which translates to "evil mountain", "bad mountain", or "wicked mountain" in the localBashkir language. The meaning behind the name is believed to originate from the many inconveniences of the mountain – a big bear population, surrounding swamps and rocky slopes – resulting in its area being a troublesome herding place.[2]
Yamantau has two peaks: Big Yamantau 1,640 metres (5,380 ft) and Small Yamantau 1,512 metres (4,960 ft). Both peaks are plateaus, with a big area and flat relief.
Up to 1,000–1,100 m elevation, the mountain slope is covered with mixed forest, in some places with driftwood, occasional alpine meadows and rocky outcrops. Above 1,100 m elevation, there are no trees or bushes, and instead rock streams of various sizes, with grass, flowers and moss start to appear.[2]
Yamantau, along withKosvinsky Mountain (600 km to the north), are claimed by theUnited States of being home to a large secretnuclear facility orbunker, or both.[3] Largeexcavation projects have been observed by U.S.satellite imagery after the fall of theSoviet Union, as recently as the late 1990s during the government ofBoris Yeltsin.[3] During the Soviet era two militarygarrisons, Beloretsk-15 and Beloretsk-16,[4][a] and possibly a third, Alkino-2, were built on the site. These garrisons were unified into theclosed town ofMezhgorye (Russian:Межгорье) in 1995, and the garrisons are said to house 30,000 workers each, served by large rail lines.[5]
Repeated U.S. questions have yielded several different responses from the Russian government regarding Yamantau, including it being amining site, a repository for Russian treasures, a food storage area, and a bunker for leaders in case ofnuclear war.[6][5] Responding to questions regarding Yamantau in 1996, Russia'sDefense Ministry stated: "The practice does not exist in the Defense Ministry of Russia of informing foreign mass media about facilities, whatever they are, that are under construction in the interests of strengthening the security of Russia."[5] In 1997, aUnited States Congressional finding, related to the country'sNational Defense Authorization Act for 1998, stated that the Russian Federation kept up a "deception and denial policy" about the mountain complex after U.S. officials had givenCheyenne Mountain Complex tours to Russian diplomats, which the finding stated "... does not appear to be consistent with the lowering of strategic threats, openness, and cooperation that is the basis of the post-Cold War strategic partnership between the United States and Russia."[7]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Alternate archive. This source states "Mezhgorye appeared after the unification of two military towns – Beloretsk-15 and Beloretsk-16 – located 20 km from each other." (Russian:Межгорье появилось после объединения двух военных городков – Белорецк-15 и Белорецк-16, – расположенных на расстоянии 20 км друг от друга.)