1. History
    Shikhany-2 

2. Administrative and municipal status

3. Shikhansky chemical testing ground

4. Ecological situation

5. References

History

It was founded in 1928 and granted town status in 1996.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} It has had closed status since 1997, the year that the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force.

Formerly, it was named after Count Vasily Orlov-Denisov,{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} a hero of the 1812 Patriotic War.

The town comprises Shikhany-1 (the town proper), Shikhany-2 (military base), and Shikhany-4 (the arsenal).

Shikhany-2

After Volsk-17 became the town of Shikhany, Shikhany-2 (hitherto closed town of Volsk-18) officially became Shikhany-1. However, residents still refer to them as Shikhany-1 and Shikhany-2, respectively.

Main organizations include NII RHBZ (Scientific & Research Institute of Radiation and Chemical Defence), {{lang-ru|НИИ РХБЗ, НИИ Радиационной Химической и Биологической Защиты)}}, the 1st Mobile Brigade of RHBZ, the RHBZ service base, "notch and scout" regiment, the Shikhansky chemical testing ground, the Privolzhskiy Military District Hospital, a polyclinic, school № 24, music school, 3 kindergartens, a hotel, an officer's House with attached cinema theater, and a forestry.

There's additionally a park with a pond located in the city, part of the former Count's Park (it was about 10,000 hectares, most of which has now reverted to wild forest). The military base garrison keeps ducks and swans in the pond and relocates swans inside the warmer facilities in winter.

The chemical facility was mentioned in the world′s media in the wake of the poisoning incident in Salisbury, England, in 2018, as an alleged source of the chemical substance in question.^[4]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany^[5]—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}} As a municipal division, the closed administrative-territorial formation of Shikhany is incorporated as Shikhany Urban Okrug.^[6]

Shikhansky chemical testing ground

Shikhansky chemical testing ground ({{lang|ru|Шиханский полигон}}) keeps a large amount of military poison substances, mainly obsolete ones such as yperite. Based upon a report submitted by Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a British chemical weapons expert indicated that Shikhany was the source of the novichok agent used in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.^[7] However, a chemical weapons site in Uzbekistan that was dismantled and decontaminated in 1999 may have been used to originally produce and test the agent.^[8][9]

Ecological situation

Shikhany has a better ecology than the nearest big cities.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Shikhany is surrounded by the forest and the chemical plant is not in use.

Infrastructure of Shikhany-2 is faintly developed, with only a couple of shops in the 20 km vicinity.

References

• Victorian age
• Victorian Age
• Victorian Alps
• Victoria (name)
• Victorian architecture
• Victorian Artists Society
• Victorian arts centre
• Victoria National Golf Club
• Victorian Bar
• Victorian Bar Association
• Victorian bushrangers history
• Victorian Certificate of Education
• Victorian College for the Deaf
• Victorian corset
• Victorian Cross
• Victorian Dad
• Victorian dress reform
• Victoria Neighbourhood of Fernwood
• Victorian Electoral Commission
• Victorian England
• Victorian era
• Victorian-era
• Victorian Era
• Victorian era (Great Britain)
• Victorian Essential Learning Standards