THE VOLGA-URAL REGION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01018A000200050001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 113
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1956
• Content Type: IR

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SECRET N?
GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE VOLGA-URAL REGION
CIA/RR?G-16
December 1956
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS. he
O DECLASSIMED
CLASS, CHANGED TO: TS S
NEXT REVEW DATE:
HR 7 ",
DAT EV ;':VVER 006514
172
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
DIA Declassification/Release Instructions on File
SECRET
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE VOLGA-URAL REGION
CIA/RR-G-16
December 1956
CENTRAL INTELLTGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
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CONTENTS
I.
II.
Summary
Introduction
Population and Settlement
Page
vii
1
4
A.
Population Distribution and Composition
4
B.
Urban Settlement
6
C.
Rural Settlement
9
D.
New Settlements and Trends
12
III.
Transportation
16
A.
Rail Transport
16
B.
Inland Waterway Transport
20
C.
Highway Transport
25
D.
Air Transport
28
E.
Pipelines
28
IV.
Industry
30
A.
The Metallurgical Industry
31
B.
The Machinery Industry
33
C.
The Defense Industry
35
D.
The Chemical Industry
36
E.
The Textile Industry
38
,
F.
The Forest Industries
40
G.
The Food-Processing Industry
40
V.
Mineral Resources
41
A. Fuels
41
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B. Iron Ore and Ferro-alloy Minerals 45
C. Other Metals 49
D. Nonmetallic Minerals 51
VI. Electric Power 53
VII. Agriculture 59
A. The Current Situation 59
B. Problems and Future Outlook 62
VIII. Physical Elements 65
A. Relief 65
B. Hydrography 68
C. Natural Vegetation 74
D. Climate 77
IX. Regional Recapitulation 81
Appendixes
Gaps in Intelligence 83
Source References 85
Photographs
Figure 1. View of Gortkiy 7
Figure 2. Saratov on the middle Volga. 7
Figure 3. Kryukovo, a small town south of Morshansk 10
Figure 4. Tatanovo, a small town north of Tambov 10
Figure 5. View of Perevoloki, east of Syzran' 10
Figure 6. Town along the Volga east of Syzran' 11
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Figure 7.
A kolkhoz village in Stalingradskaya Oblast'. .
11
Figure 8.
A kolkhoz village in Kuybyshevskaya Oblast' . .
11
Figure 9.
Oilfield workers' settlement under construction
in the Zhiguli Mountains near Kuybyshev . . .
.
13
Figure 10.
A recently constructed settlement for workers
of the Kuybyshevskaya hydroelectric power
project
13
Figure 11.
Grain barges on the Volga near Stalingrad . ? ?
?
22
Figure 12.
Log rafts and a passenger ship on the Volga
near the Zhiguli Mountains
22
Figure 13.
Lower navigation lock at the Kuybyshev hydro-
electric project
24
Figure 14.
View of the Kama Reservoir
24
Figure 15.
Unimproved dirt road leading to a village near
Orsk
26
Figure 16.
Improved road in the suburbs of Michurinsk in
Tambovskaya Oblast'
26
Figure 17.
Improved road leading from Syzran' to Kuybyshev
27
Figure 18.
Improved road west of Penza
27
Figure 19.
Improved road west of Penza
27
Figure 20.
Iron and steel plant at Nizhniy Tagil
32
Figure 21.
Molotov automobile plant in Gorikiy
34
Figure 22.
New engine test stand under construction at
Kuybyshev Aircraft Engine Plant No. 24 Imeni
Frunze
34
Figure 23.
The combine plant at Saratov
35
Figure 24.
Oil refinery at Novokuybyshevsk
37
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Figure 25.
Figure 26.
Figure 27.
Figure 28.
Figure 29.
Figure 30.
Figure 31.
Figure
Figure
Figure 34.
Figure
Figure 36.
Figure
An unidentified petroleum installation northeast
of Pokhvistnevo
Dzerzhinskiy textile mill in Ivanovo
Paper mill in Borovsk
Punps and derricks in an oilfield near Mukhanovo
Well-site tank in an oilfield near Mukhanovo. .
Well-drilling rig in an oilfield in the vicinity
of Mukhanovo
Iron-ore strip mine at Gora Vysokaya north of
Nizhniy Tagil
32. Power house under construction at the Kuybyshev
hydroelectric power project
33. The Kama hydroelectric power project at Levshino
A small powerplant just south of Syzran'
35. A machine tractor station in Penzenskaya Oblast'
The Zhigu1i Mountains at Samara Bend
37. Gora Blagodat' in the low area north of Nizhniy
Figure 38.
Figure 39.
Figure 40.
Figure 41.
Figure 42.
Figure 43.
Tagil
Landscape in the southern Urals in the vicinity
of Zlatoust
View along the Yuryuzan' River near Ust'-KAtav.
The Volga River near Cheboksary
The Volga River north of Stalingrad
The high right bank of the Volga at the Samara
Bend
Mixed forest of conifers and beech along the
Kizel River
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56
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61
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68
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69
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Figure 44. Open valley in the central Urals with scattered
birch trees 76
Figure 45. Coniferous forest along the Sim River between
Sim and Miniyar 77
Maps
Following page
Volga-Ural Region: Location Map (25787.0 2
Population (25787B) 4
Railroad Network (25787C) 16
Inland Waterways and Reservoirs (25787D) 20
Oil Pipeline Network (25787E) 28
Volga-Ural Region: Relief (25546) 96
Economic Map of the Volga Region (25406) 96
Economic Map of the Ural Region (25407) OOO ? . 96
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THE VOLGA-URAL REGION
Summary
The Volga-Ural Region has become strategically significant as the
leading oil-producing region of the USSR. Favorably situated in east-
ern European USSR and rich in natural resources, it has developed rap-
idly in the past as a result of the five-year plans and World War II.
This development is expected to continue and probably gain impetus in
the future.
Power capacity and transmission facilities in the region are at
present inadequate. Large-scale efforts to, tap the hydroelectric po-
tential of the Volga River system are currently under way, however,
and the existing capacity, plus that to be installed in the near
future, should satisfy the foreseeable power requirements of the re-
gion. Soviet plans also call for a great expansion of transmission
facilities.
A great variety of minerals, ranging from fuels to construction
materials, are present in the region. The fuel resources include
petroleum, oil shale, peat, natural gas, and coal. The region is
especially rich in ferrous minerals and alloys. It contains extensive
deposits of iron ore and chromite, as well as significant quantities
of cobalt, nickel, and vanadium. Copper, magnesium, bauxite, gold,
and platinum are the chief nonferrous metals. Potash and phosphate
provide the raw-material base for mineral fertilizers. The region
also has deposits of many other nonmetallic minerals.
The most important means of transportation is rail, and the rail-
road network is good according to Soviet standards. Next in importance
are the inland waterways, specifically the Volga River system, which
is well integrated with the railroads of the region. Highways are of
minor importance in the transportation of the region, and the road
pattern is sparse and inadequate. Economically, airlines are of minor
importance, since their traffic consists mainly of passengers. The
region is deficient in pipelines.
Industry is an important branch of the economy of the region,
which includes some of the most highly industrialized parts of the
USSR. Among the chief industries are metallurgy; the manufacture of
machinery, chemicals, and textiles; woodworking; and food processing.
This report was coordinated with the Agriculture and Petroleum
Branches, Materials Division, and with the Transportation Branch,
Services Division, of ORR.
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Agriculture is limited largely to grain crops, with over 75 per-
cent of the cultivated area devoted to grain. Flax, hemp, sunflowers,
sugar beets, potatoes, and makhorka are the chief industrial and food
crops, and truck farming and dairying are found near centers of popu-
lation. Livestock raising is carried on throughout the region. Agri-
cultural production apparently is not sufficient to meet regional
requirements.
Approximately 40 to 45 million people live within the boundaries
of the study area, or about one-fifth of the total population of the
USSR. The heaviest concentration of population is found in the forest
steppe between Ryazan' and Borisoglebsk and between Penza and the
Vyatka River. Forty percent of the population is urban. Seven major
ethnic groups are represented within the region, of which the Great
Russian is by far the largest and most influential.
Settlement in the region has been characterized by the rapid growth
of urban centers and workers' settlements associated with expanding in-
dustrial centers, the oil industry, and hydroelectric developments.
The physical environment, although not optimum, poses no insur-
mountable obstacles to further development of the region. The East
European Plain, which extends across European USSR to the Ural Moun-
tains, encompasses the major portion of the region. The only other
outstanding relief feature is the comparatively law Ural Range. Most
of the region is drained by the Volga River system, which empties into
the land-locked Caspian Sea. Long, severe winters and short, moderately
warm summers are characteristic of the region. The mean annual precip-
itation is between 430 and 635 millimeters (17 and 25 inches). Steppe
and forest are the predominant types of natural vegetation.
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I. Introduction
The Volga-Ural Region corresponds roughly with the rich oil-
producing area that has become known as the "Second Baku." Since the
region has never been clearly defined in Soviet literature, it has
been delimited to include the major part of the known and possible
oil-bearing strata in eastern European USSR (see Map 25546 following
page 93) -- an area of about 1,385,000 square kilometers (535,000
square miles).
The era of rapid industrial expansion in the Volga-Ural Region
began in 1928 with the inception of the Soviet five-year plans. Until
then, the economy was based primarily on local handicrafts and agri-
culture; industry was limited to the manufacture of textiles in the
Ivanovo area and of metallurgical products in the Urals. With the
successive five-year plans, industry expanded and new industrial cen-
ters sprang up throughout the region. This industrial expansion
occurred mainly in the Ural Mountains in close proximity to the exten-
sive and varied mineral deposits and along the Volga River, which
provided an important artery for the flow of raw materials. The dis-
covery and rapid exploitation of petroleum in the region has also
stimulated industry and greatly increased the strategic significance
of the Volga-Ural Region. Further stimulus was provided by the indus-
trial relocation that occurred during World War II.
Raw materials, location, and the Volga River have been and still
are the dynamic factors in the economic growth of the region. Of
these, the presence of raw materials has played a preeminent role.
In the Ural portion of the region, the accessibility of a variety of
minerals forms the basis for ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy and the
chemical industry. The products of these enterprises supply basic
materials for other industries, both within the region and in other
parts of the Soviet Union. Although the exploitation of petroleum is
of recent origin, the Volga-Ural Region is currently the leading Soviet
oil-producing area, and production will undoubtedly increase in the
future. Among the other resources are fuels such as peat, oil shale,
natural gas, and coal. Some of these lower grade fuels have not been
exploited extensively, but their exploitation is expected to increase,
since greater use of local fuel resources would make possible the
reduction of bulky railroad hauls. Also important are the extensive
forests of the region, which supply the raw material for the woodworking
industry. (See Maps 25406 and 25407 at end of report.)
The Volga-Ural Region is centrally located in relation to other
areas with raw materials and industry. To the west is the highly
industrialized Moscow area, which supplies the region with a great
variety of consumer and producer goods. To the southwest is the
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important metallurgical, manufacturing, and agricultural area of the
Ukraine. This area provides the Volga-Ural Region not only with metal-
lurgical products, iron ore, and coal for the machine-building and
metalworking industries along the Volga but also with agricultural
and finished products. To the north are extensive forests and the
Pechora coal basin, which in the near future is to,be connected directly
with the Ural area by rail. To the south is the Caucasus area, im-
portant for oil and manganese. To the southeast is Soviet Central Asia,
which supplies cotton for the textile industry of the Ivanovo area and
is also an important source of coal and nonferrous metals; in the
future Central Asia may become an important source of iron ore. To
the east are the metallurgical and machine-building industries of the
eastern Urals, and farther to the east is the Kuzbas, with its iron
ore, coal, and heavy industry.
Because of its central location the Volga-Ural Region is a major
transit area for raw materials and finished goods; and its transporta-
tion system, especially the railroad network, is well developed. Raw
materials pass through the region by rail and along the Volga River
en route from eastern mineral and agricultural areas to western con-
suming and manufacturing areas, and finished products from the west
cross the region en route to eastern markets. Some of these commodi-
ties are in semifinished form and are further processed within the
region. Although the Ural industrial complex is better situated than
the Donbas for supplying Siberia and Soviet Central Asia with metallur-
gical and industrial products, the Kuzbas has recently taken over a
part of this supply function.
The inland location of the region is also of strategic military
significance, making it less vulnerable than other areas to enemy
invasion during wartime. This fact, coupled with a favorable combina-
tion of raw materials in the Ural Mountains, has made the region an
important area for defense industries. The strategic location of the
region was demonstrated during World War II, when defense plants were
moved into it on a large scale. The farthest advance into the USSR
by the Germans during World War II reached no farther than Stalingrad
in the extreme southwestern part of the region.
The Volga River and its tributaries have long served as a unifying
force for the region. In the past, when waterways were the chief medi-
um of transportation, the Volga River system facilitated trade and
contributed to the development of the early Russian state. Russian
penetration and development of the region began in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries, when trade centers were founded along the Volga
and its important tributaries. By the sixteenth century, after the
defeat of the Tatars, Russian influence had spread from the Oka River
basin to the entire Volga Basin. Through the years, the Volga River
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Volga-Urals Region: location map
Ka
Uryanovsk
*Molotov
Boundaries are not necessarily those
recognized by the U.S. Government.
25787 A
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has attracted a great variety of goods, people, and industries, thereby
laying the foundation of the present economic structure. Many of the
early trading centers, such as Gor'kiy and Kazan', have grown to be key
cities of the Soviet Union.
The Volga River system is also important for power and has possi-
bilities for future irrigation. In response to the demands of the
economy, the navigation, energy, and irrigation potential of the Volga
River and its chief tributary, the Kama, is being developed intensively.
According to current plans, eight power dams with an almost continuous
chain of reservoirs will be constructed along the Volga from Stalingrad
to beyond Ivan'kovo on the upper course of the river, and three more
large dans are being built in the Kama. The realization of this program
is making available a large amount of electric power, has already im-
proved navigation, and will increase the water available for irriga-
tion -- all of which will enhance the economic potential of the region.
The additional power will provide an energy base for much of the region
and probably foster industry and agriculture; the improvement of navi-
gation will facilitate the flow of goods; and water for irrigation
could raise agricultural productivity somewhat.
Cities within the region may be expected to expand greatly, notably
Stalingrad and Kuybyshev. Stalingrad, situated on the Volga River
near what will be one of the world's largest power dams, can be supplied
with iron ore and coal via the Volga-Don Canal from the Donbas, about
480 kilometers (300 miles) to the southwest. Kuybyshev, farther up-
stream, is located in the center of an important oil-producing area
and near another large power dam and is connected by a major railroad
line with consuming areas to the east and west.
Although the region is traditionally an important grain-growing
area of the Soviet Union, physical conditions are not optimum for
agriculture. Today agriculture seems to be one of the more poorly
developed branches of the economy. The agricultural potential of the
region is probably considerably greater than the present stage of
development would indicate, but no great expansion is expected in the
future. Any immediate expansion will probably be associated with the
planned large irrigation projects along the Volga and the availability
of additional power. Long-range agricultural improvement will be con-
tingent upon greatly increased use of chemical fertilizers and a general
rise in the efficiency of labor.
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II. Population and Settlement*
A. Population Distribution and Composition
Approximately 40 to 45 million people, or about one-fifth of the
total USSR population, live within the boundaries of the Volga-Ural
Region. This region is the eastern extension of densely populated
central European Russia. The average density of population for the
region as a whole is relatively high -- about 34 persons per square
kilometer (85 persons per square mile) as compared with 9 persons
per square kilometer (23 persons per square mile) for the Soviet Union
as a whole.
In 1939 the rural population of the region numbered roughly 36
million. Since then it has probably declined somewhat as a result
of the growth of urbanization. The decline, however, has been less
than might be expected because it has been partially offset by the
natural increase in the rural population.
The distribution of the rural population is uneven. Seven areas
within the region have population densities ranging from 50 to 100
persons per square kilometer (130 to 260 persons per square mile).
The largest area of high population density stretches some 400 kilo-
meters (250 miles) from the vicinity of Ryazan' southward to Boriso-
glebsk. Another large area. extends from the vicinity of Penza north-
eastward to the Vyatka River. The other areas are smaller and are
located near the cities of Kostroma, Gor'kiy, Izhevsk, Ufa, and Saratov.
In practically all of the intervening areas the population ranges
from 25 to 50 persons per square kilometer (65 to 130 persons per square
mile). Northward toward the colder regions and southward toward the
hot arid areas, the population densities become progressively lower,
and large areas in the north and south have fewer than 10 persons per
square kilometer (26 persons per square mile).
In contrast to the relative decrease in rural population, the
population of settlements classified as urban has increased rapidly
since 1926, largely because of the industrialization drive that began
shortly thereafter. By 1939, the number of urban inhabitants within
the Volga-Ural Region was approximately 12 million, an increase of
more than 100 percent over 1926. That this trend -has continued to
the present is evident both from the rapid growth of many of the major
cities and from the large number of new cities and settlements. The
city of Gor'kiy, for example, is estimated to have added about 230,000
*Background material was derived from sources 1 and 2, Appendix B.
Nomerical citations in the text also refer to sources in Appendix B.
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0
Rybinsk
eservoir
Tsirelyansk
Reservoir
25787 Et
CASPIAN SEA ARAL SEA
0 190 290 390 490 590 Statute Miles
0 100 200 300 490 500 Kilometers
RURAL POPULATION DENSITY
High ( >130/mi.2 )
Moderate (25-130/mi.2 )
Low ( 1,000,000
300,000-1,000,000
100,000-300,000
50,000-100,000
10,000-50,000
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inhabitants since 1939; Kuybyshev has grown from 390,000 in 1939 to
a present population of about 760,000; and even the smaller cities of
Penza and Kirov have increased by about 70,000 each during the same
period. _3,/ At present, the urban population is estimated at about
40 percent of the total population.
The population of the Volga-Ural Region underwent a noticeable
change during World War II, when some 10 million people, including
many technicians and highly skilled workers, were evacuated eastward
from areas threatened by the Germans. A considerable number of these
evacuees were resettled in the Volga-Ural Region. Especially large
increases occurred in some districts of the Urals. The southwestern
part of the area, however, experienced some population losses through
the forced migration of workers eastward and through the evacuation of
at least 400,000 ethnic Germans from the liquidated Volga-German
Republic.
In the past, workers in other areas have been offered inducements
for moving voluntarily to the Ural region. These inducements have
included free transportation at the expense of the hiring enterprises,
allowances and food while in transit, lump-sum grants for workers and
families, loans for housing construction, free technical training,
and tax exemptions. Practically all these inducements appeared to be
still in effect as of 1955. Favorable wage differentials constituted
another important inducement. Wages in the Urals averaged about 20
percent higher than in many other areas and were set even higher for
the coal, ferrous metallurgy, and oil industries.11-/
An important factor in determining the overall industrial and agri-
cultural potential of a population is the number of persons of working
age. In the USSR as a whole, the proportion of persons of working age
(generally assumed to be the age group between 16 and 59), which sup-
plies 80 to 90 percent of the civilian labor force, is about 62 percent
of the total population. When applied to the Volga-Ural Region, this
proportion would give a work force of approximately 27 million. It
has been estimated that the working-age population is increasing at a
rate of almost 2 percent a year.
The current ratio of 100 men to 117 women will gradually even off
as the years pass. This anticipated change in the ratio of males to
females will increase overall labor productivity because of the greater
efficiency of males in some types of work.
Of the seven major ethnic groups living within the limits of the
Volga-Urals Region, the Great Russian group is by far the most numerous
and influential. Great Russians occupy most of the important industrial
and administrative positions. On occasion, entire cities, such as the
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new oil town of Oktyabr'skiy in Bashkirskaya ASSR, have been built to
house "imported" Great Russian workers.
The native population groups are relatively insignificant in
number and influence. The largest, the Mordvins of Mordovskaya ASSR,
numbered only 1,451,000 in 1939. The remaining groups in order of
size were, in 1939, the Chuvash, Bashkir, Udmurt, Mari, and Tatar.
These ethnic groups comprise a considerable part of the agricultural
labor force, but some individuals serve as unskilled and semiskilled
workers in the newly developed oilfields.
Population transfers during World War II brought large numbers
of Great Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians into the Volga-Ural
Region. Lack of data makes it impossible to determine the magnitude
of these transfers.
B. Urban Settlement
Settlement in the Volga-Ural Region is characterized by the rapid
growth of urban centers. For example, of 51 smaller industrial cities
on the western flank of the Urals, from the vicinity of Molotov to the
area just south of Ufa, 34 have achieved city status since 1926, 20 of
these since 1940. Many of the older centers, such as Molotov and Ufa,
have also grown enormously since World War II. At present the region
includes close to 200 settlements with over 10,000 inhabitants each,
most of which are clustered about the major industrial centers. Over
a dozen are cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
The majority of the settlements are located along rivers or streams,
where water is available. The larger settlements are likely to be sit-
uated at the junction of a major river and an important tributary.
The major cities in the Volga-Ural Region, as in other parts of
the USSR, are generally administrative, cultural, industrial, and trans-
portation centers.
Gorfkiy, with a population of approximately 876,000, is the largest
urban center in the region. The city is located at the confluence of
the Volga and Oka Rivers and derives importance from its transportation
and industrial activities (Figure 1). Among the major products manu-
factured are locomotives, ships, airplanes, automobiles, tanks, and
artillery. The city also produces chemicals and processes lumber,
wool, and flour.
Kuybyshev, the second largest city, has a population of approxi-
mately 760,000 and is situated at the confluence of the Volga and
Samara Rivers. From its original importance as an old trading town,
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Figure 1. View of Gorikiy at the confluence of the Oka and
Volga Rivers.
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10 pg r.?1,
1141,
Figure 2. Saratov on the middle Volga.
Date unknown)
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it has become one of.the largest ports and transshipment centers on
the Volga River. At present, aircraft production is its largest in-
dustry. Kuybyshev also contains an arms plant, oil refineries, ball-
bearing works, shipyards, and food-processing plants.
Kazan', at the junction of the Volga River and a key east-west
railroad line, has a population of about 565,000. It is the caiAtal
of the Tatarskaya ASSR and is important as a producer of synthetic
rubber, aircraft, and optical equipment. Also noteworthy are its
woodworking and fur-processing industries.
The city of Molotov on the Kama River has roughly 538,000 inhabi-
tants. It is an important producer of machine tools, aircraft engines,
ships, telephone equipment, munitions, chemicals, and lumber. It is
also the administrative center for Molotovskaya Oblast'.
Stalingrad, with about 525,000 inhabitants, is located at a bend
of the Volga River between Saratov and Astrakhan'. Recently rebuilt
after having been extensively damaged in World War II, Stalingrad is
an important river port and rail center for the transshipment of such
commodities as petroleum, lumber, and coal. It also has important
metallurgical, chemical, and lumber industries.
Saratov, which is also located where a main railroad line crosses
the Volga River, has approximately 518,000 inhabitants (Figure 2).
This river port is especially important as a transshipment point for
petroleum moving from Baku to the central European USSR. Oil refining,
the manufacture of machine tools and of agricultural and electrical
machinery, sawmilling, and food processing are the chief industries
of the city. It is also an important producer of storage batteries.
Saratov is an Oblast center.
Ivanovo has about 319,000 inhabitants. Other major cities, such
as Nizhniy Tagil, Ufa, Izhevsk, Penza, Chkalov, and Kirov, range in
size from 200,000 to 300,000; and Ul'yanovsk, Syzran', Orsk, Tambov,
and Vladimir have populations of 100,000 to 200,000. In addition to
their industrial importance, these cities serve as administrative
and transportation centers for their respective areas.
Although some of these smaller cities were newly established,
most were expansions of smaller, older settlements. For example, the
relatively new metallurgical city of Dobryanka in Molotovskaya Oblast'
evolved from a settlement that was established in 1752. In other
instances, some of the larger cities expanded to such an extent that
whole new cities were formed from their suburbs. The industrial sec-
tion of Berezniki, for example, broke away from the parent settlement
to form the new city of Usollye. Many of the smaller towns such as
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Novo-Troitsk, a new metallurgical city founded in 1945, and Gubakha,
a new coal city formed in 1941, developed as a result of the merger
of two smaller neighboring settlements.
As might be expected, workers' settlements are most numerous in
the vicinity of large established industrial centers and near the
particular factory in which the workers are employed. The exact
number of new workers' settlements is difficult to determine since
new settlements appear practically every time a new factory is con-
structed or an old one is expanded. New forestry workers' settlements,
however, tend to appear in areas that were previously unsettled.
In the past, workers' settlements have generally consisted of one-
story wooden huts. Recently, however, construction has in some in-
stances turned toward more substantial multistoried apartment buildings
of brick and cinder-block construction.
C. Rural Settlement
Rural settlements vary greatly in size, ranging from 5 to 5,000
households. They generally consist of a compact group of one-story
wood or mud huts, possibly with a few administrative buildings of
more substantial brick or stone construction.
In the northeastern section of the Volga-Ural Region, villages
are strung out along the many forested valleys and along roads. They
vary in size from fewer than 50 inhabitants for the vast majority up
to 500 or more for some of the larger villages.
In the west-central areas, the settlements are somewhat larger.
A large percentage of settlements have from 50 inhabitants to more
than 500 (Figures 3 and 4); but some of the larger villages have over
2,000 inhabitants. Sel'sovets are generally located in these larger
villages.
Within Kuybyshevskaya, Saratovskaya, and Stalingradskaya ?blasts
to the south and southwest, villages are still, for the most part,
relatively small, usually with fewer than 200 inhabitants (Figures 5,
6, 7, and 8). Houses are one-story huts, but clay becomes more im-
portant as a building material. The larger villages often contain
sel'sovets and act as the administrative and commercial centers of
their areas. The population of such villages often exceeds 5,000 and
occasionally 10,000.
As a result of the program for consolidating kolkhozes, which
began in 1950, some isolated attempts may have been made to merge
several small villages into larger settlements called "agrogorods" or
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Figure 3. Kryukovo, a small town south of Morshansk in Penzenskaya
Oblast'. (1955)
Figure 4. Tatanovo, a small town north of Tambov. (1955)
Figure 5. View of Perevoloki, east of Syzran'. (1955)
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Figure 6. Town along the Volga east of Syzran', probably Batraki. (1955)
Figure 7. A kolkhoz village in Stalingradskaya Oblast'. (1946)
Figure 8. A kolkhoz village in Kuybyshevskaya Oblast'. (1946)
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farm-cities. Even these feeble attempts at consolidation, however,
appear to have been abandoned in recent years.
D. New Settlements and Trends
Most of the new towns and settlements in the Volga-Ural Region
are developing in conjunction with the expanding industrial centers,
the growth of the oil region known ag the "Second Baku," or the
establishment of the Tsimlyansk and Kuybyshev hydroelectric plants.
Many of the larger cities have become the nuclei for a ring of satel-
lite industrial towns. Around Kirov, for example, the new satellite
towns and woodworking centers of Novo-Vyatsk and Kirov-Chepetsk on
the Vyatka have recently evolved from small former workers' settle-
ments.
An important stimulus to new settlement has been the relatively
recent oil boom in the region (Figure 9). In the Tuymazy oilfield of
the Bashkirskaya ASSR, the city of Oktyabr'skiy, with over 40,000
population, has evolved from a workers' settlement established during
World War II. In Tatarskaya ASSR, the recently founded town of
Al'met'yevsk was designed to be the new center of the rapidly growing
oil industry. The Moscow Institute of Town Planning is preparing a
general plan for the development of Al'met'yevsk over the next 20 to
25 years. At present, construction of the city is progressing at a
rapid pace, and rows of miltistoried apartment houses, parks, and
avenues are under construction. In Chkalovskaya Oblast', the town of
Buguruslan has been rejuvenated by the growth of the oil industry and
is expanding rapidly. Several technical schools for oil specialists s
and other educational institutes are being established here.
Hydroelectric developments have also had a decided influence on
new settlement (Figure 10). The construction of the Kuybyshev dam
and power station on the Volga has resulted in the creation of many
new towns and has given new life and purpose to several older cities.
The new towns of Kbmsomol'skiy and Zhigulevsk, approximately 70 kilo-
meters (45 miles) upstream from Kuybyshev, have been built to house
the power-station workers at the new dam. Other recent developments
in this area include the new cities of Portgorod and Stavropol' (to
replace the old Stavropol', which will be inundated by the new reser-
voir) and the lock settlement of Poselok Shlyuzovoy. On the opposite
side of the river, not far from Zhigulevsk, is the new and rapidly
expanding town of Morkvashi, which produces construction materials.
According to Soviet accounts, all of the new towns are being
built of brick and follow a prescribed pattern of development. Each
new town is to have asphalt streets, blocks of multistoried flats,
stores, schools, and the inevitable house of culture.
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Figure 9. Oilfield workers' settlement under construction
in the Zhiguli Mountains near Kuybyshev.
Figure 10. A recently constructed settlement for workers
of the Kuybyshevskaya hydroelectric power project. (1952)
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Since the dam of the Kuybyshevskaya Gidroelektricheskaya Stantsiya
(GES) will raise the waters of the Volga some 20 meters (65 feet),
several of the older cities along its banks are having to reconstruct
their port facilities. Work of this sort is in progress at Kazan',
Ultyanovsk, Melekess, and Sengiley. A new port is being built on the
outskirts of Ullyanovsk, which is being designed as one of the largest
ports in the Greater Volga area. The port facilities of Kazan' are
to be radically reconstructed,.w1th new quays and dikes. The Leningrad
State Institute for Planning and Municipal Construction has drafted
plans for the reconstruction of 19 cities in the vicinity of the
Kuybyshev reservoir.
In the area southwest of Stalingrad the construction of the
Tsimlyansk reservoir and hydroelectric plant and the Volga-Don Canal
has necessitated a considerable amount of relocation and new urban
development. In Nizhne-Chirskiy Rayon (now in Kamenskaya Oblast')
alone, some 37 settlements and 33 kolkhozes were displaced. The new
settlement of Kalininskaya has been built to house the farm people
dispossessed by the flooding. Eight new settlements are being built
along the route of the Volga-Don Canal. According to Russian sources,
Novyy Rogachik, a former farm on the steppes, is developing into an
important port on the Volga-Don Canal and a transshipment point for
building materials, grain, and coal. The new settlements along the
Tsimlyansk reservoir and the Volga-Don Canal seem to be well planned
and permanent.
The new settlement of Volzhskiy was built in 1954 to house the
construction workers of the Stalingrad hydroelectric powerplant.
Volzhskiy is called the "stone city" because of its hundreds of 2-
and 3-story masonry apartment houses. Reportedly the city has hydro-
electric technical schools, stores, and asphalt-paved streets.
The area along the per Volga that will be flooded by the new
Gor'kiy Reservoir has also been the site of recent building activity.
On the shores of this future "sea," harbors and landing stages are being
built for the anticipated shipping. New towns of permanent construc-
tion, with multistoried apartment houses and schools, are also being
built for the workers at the power project. To protect some of the
older cities such as Yuriyevets, Kineshma, and Kostroma from flooding,
extensive systems of dikes are under construction.
The area surrounding the Kama "Sea" in Molotovskaya Oblast' is
another center of building activity. The creation of the reservoir
has also resulted in the development of many new workers' settlements,
as well as the rejuvenation of many older cities. With the formation
of the sea, the cities of Molotov, Berezniki, Solikamsk, and Verkhne-
Chusovskiye Gorodki will become more important as river ports. New
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harbors are presently under construction at Berezniki and Molotov.
Although the 186-mile-long reservoir is constricted by the narrow-
ness of the Kama Valley, it has made necessary the movement of some
older towns to higher ground.
In the future, the current high rate of city expansion is bound
to decrease somewhat as the present rapid rate of industrialization
begins to level off. On the other hand, the growth of new workers'
settlements seems to be continuing at a rapid pace, primarily because
of the housing needs of workers involved in building the hydroelectric
projects now under way or planned. Many of these settlements will
gradually evolve into full-fledged cities.
The basic pattern of settlement seems to be relatively uniform.
In the great majority of cases, expansion of the cities and the develop-
ment of new population centers are taking place within the well-
established and already densely populated industrial areas. The only
really new areas of urbanization are associated with the development
of the "Second Baku" oil region and with the new hydroelectric projects
along the Volga River.
In spite of the considerable amount of new construction, most of
the cities are overcrowded and inadequately supplied with housing.
Furthermore, much of the current building is of such inferior quality
that it is not uncommon to find almost new apartment houses in various
states of disrepair.
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III. Transportation*
Transportation facilities in the Volga-Ural Region include rail-
roads, waterways, airlines, highways, and pipelines, but the most im-
portant means of transportation is rail. The preeminence of rail
transportation is partly a result of the region's central location.
The major east-west lines of the USSR cross the region, providing con-
nections with areas to the east and west, as well as satisfying inter-
nal transportation requirements. Next in importance is the inland
waterway system, which is well integrated with the railroads of the
region. The Volga River is the main artery of water transport. It
is the most important inland waterway in the Soviet Union and is con-
nected through tributaries and canals with practically all parts of
European USSR. Roads are of minor importance. The highway system,
which generally consists of a limited number of hard-surfaced roads,
is sparse and inadequate. The main function of airlines is the trans-
port of passengers. Therefore, airlines play a minor role in the
economy of the region. Petroleum pipelines are notably deficient in
the region.
A. Rail Transport
Since the Volga-Ural Region is industrially well developed, an
extensive railroad network is especially important to supply the indus-
tries with raw materials and to transport their finished products to
consumers. From the west, foodstuffs, textiles, and manufactured
goods are shipped into the region by rail. Locally produced bulk iron
and steel, oil, and machinery are exported eastward and westward by
rail.
The rail network of the region is generally good, but it is in-
adequate in some respects. In the area west of the Volga River, rail-
road facilities are especially well developed, being a part of the
railroad network that radiates from Moscow. Furthermore, these rail-
roads are also integrated with the river transport on the Volga River.
Between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains, the rail pattern thins
out but is still fairly adequate. Along the slopes of the Ural Moun-
tains, especially in the central Urals, the net again becomes fairly
dense. The main area of inadequate rail transport is the Bashkirskaya
ASSR. Here the development of railroads has not kept up with the
rapidly expanding oil industry. The present situation will be some-
what alleviated, however, when the Magnitogorsk-Sterlitamak-Abdulino
line, now under construction, has been completed. This railroad is
*Background material was derived from sources 5 through 9,
Appendix B.
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0 0
Rybinsk
Reservoir
0
Kirov .2
0
/9
0
Gor'kiy
0
Kamo
0
Kazan'
0 0 0
'
0 lyanovsk 0 0
0 0
0
0
000 0 a o
0
eMichurinsk 0 oPenza 0 0
00 o
Go Syzra uybyshev
0 0 oRtishchevo
0 0
o 0 cb
0Q 0 Or 0 0 o r
0 0 0
0
Railroad network
Molotov
00?Ufa
0
0
GP
0
? 0
*Nizhniy
0 Tagil
Sverdlovsk
0
?
a0
?
0
00
00
0
0
00
0
? 0
amyshin 0
talingrad
Volgo-Don
0 Canal
?-?
25787 C
0
0 190 290 390 490 590 Kilometers
Existing railroad
Railroad under construction
Railroad scheduled in 6th
5-year Plan
? Major rail center
? Selected railroad station
CASPIAN SEA
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expected to relieve the heavily traveled Chelyabinsk-Ufa-Kuybyshev
line, which is currently the only line that crosses the Urals between
Sverdlovsk and Orsk. Another deficiency has been the lack of con-
nections between the Ural industrial centers, which are deficient in
coking coal, and the Pechora coal basin to the north. To relieve this
situation, two new lines have been planned. The first will connect
Polunochnoye with the Chum-Salekhard line via the east flank of the
Urals, and the second will connect Solikamsk with Ukhta along the
west flank of the Urals.
The railroad network of the region includes 10 Soviet railroad
systems. Five key lines, all of which radiate from Moscow and cross
the Volga River, traverse the region from west to east. These heavily
traveled east-west lines are intersected by seven north-south lines.
Together, these lines form an integrated railroad network that serves
the Volga-Ural Region. The main railroad network is supplemented by
many feeder and branch lines throughout the region.
In the north, the region is crossed from west to east by the
Moscow-Gor'kiy-Kirov44olotov-Sverdlovsk line, which continues eastward
and connects with the Trans-Siberian Railroad. This line is double
tracked from Moscow to Gor'kiy, and the remainder of the route is now
being double tracked. Important branches of this line connect Kirov
with the Kotlas-Vorkuta line, Yar with Rudnichnyy, and Molotov with
Polovinka (in the vicinity of Kizel). The Yar-Rudnichnyy line pro-
vides rail connection with the iron-ore and phosphate deposits of
the Vyatka-Kama area. This line is scheduled to be extended to Syktyvkar
during the period of the Sixth Five-Year Plan, and currently a rail con-
nection is under construction from Sytyvkar to Mikun' on the Vorkuta-
Kbtlas line. 22/ The Molotov-Polovinka line is an alternate route,
its chief function being the transport of coal from the Kizel Basin to
Molotov. Somewhat to the south, the single-track Moscow-Kazan'-
Sverdlovsk line crosses the region.
Farther south is another line that connects Moscow with Ryazan',
Ultyanovsk, Ufa, and Chelyabinsk. The line is single tracked except
for a section of double track between Ufa and Chelyabinsk. Paralleling
the western part of this line on the south is the Moscow-Penza-
Kuybyshev-Ufa line, which is double tracked throughout most of its
course. An important branch of this railroad connects Ufa with the
important oil region of Ishimbay and will eventually continue to
Chkalov. At Kuybyshev, another single-track line branches to the
southeast and connects with Orsk by way of Chkalov. The southernmost
of the trunklines is the railroad that leads from Moscow to Saratov,
most of which is single tracked. From Saratov the line continues
eastward and connects with the Chkalov-Tashkent railroad. The
branch of the trunkline that leads northward from Yershov to Pugachev
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is at present being extended westward to the construction site of the
Saratovskaya GES at Balakovo. With the completion of the Saratovskaya
GES, this line will cross the Volga via the dam and will connect with
the Saratov-Syzran' line by way of Volvsk. It is probable that the
branch line will also be extended northward from Pugachev to Kuybyshev,
thus providing an auxiliary route to the construction site of the
Saratovskaya GES.
The north-south railroads of the region are more irregular in
pattern since their primary function is to interconnect the main east-
west routes. Most of the north-south lines are single tracked because
the volume of traffic they handle is generally considerably lover than
on the east-west lines. The backbone of north-south railroad transport
is a line connecting the industrial centers of Serov, Nizhniy Tagil,
Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, and Orsk. This line, although largely outside
the region, is of primary importance to the industries of the Volga-
Ural Region. Roughly paralleling the key line is a single-track rail-
road running from Solikamsk in the north via Nizhniye Sergi to Bakal.
This line roughly skirts the western slope of the Ural Range.
Two additional single-track lines now under construction will
further facilitate north-south traffic. The first leads from Balezino
on the Kirov-Molotov line via Izhevsk and Agryz to Bugul'ma, where it
joins the Ulyanovsk-Ufa line. The section between Agryz and Bugul'ma
is currently under construction. On the second line, between Pronino
(on the Ulfyanovsk-Ufa line) and Surgut (the terminus of a branch line
of the Kuybyshev-Ufa trunkline), construction is also under way. On
completion, this line will materially shorten the railroad distance
between the important oil-producing districts of Bugul'ma and Tuymazy
and the major refining center of Kuybyshev.
Of vital importance to transport along the Volga is a single-
track, north-south railroad line that parallels the Volga River and
connects the major centers along its course. The line begins near
Stalingrad; runs through Kamyshin, Saratov, Syzran', and Ulyanovsk;
crosses the Volga River west of Kazan'; and continues somewhat beyond
Yoshkar-Ola. Along its route, the railroad crosses four of the east-
west trunklines. During the winter when the Volga River is frozen,
the line serves the major centers along the river.
In the southwestern part of the region, there are three other
important north-south lines. One connects Povorino, on the western
margin of the region, with Penza, Gor'kiy, and Kirov. This line is
double tracked from Povorino to Penza, and the remainder of the route
has a single track. Two other northwest-southeast single-track lines
connect Moscow with Kamyshin and Stalingrad. The Moscow-Stalingrad
line continues southeastward to Astrakhan'. Stalingrad is also
connected by two other lines with the Donbas and the Krasnodar area.
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The major rail centers of the Volga-Ural Region are located along
the east-west trunklines; centers located where the lines cross the
Volga River serve as transshipment points between rail and river trans-
port. Along the Volga and in the western part of the region, the ma-
jor rail centers are Stalingrad, Kamyshin, Saratov, Syzran', Kuybyshev,
Ul'yanovsk, Kazan', Gor'kiy, Kirov, Ivanovo? Michurinsk, Rtishchevo,
and Penza. In the Ural part of the region, important rail centers
include Nizhniy Tagil, Molotov, Sverdlovsk, and Ufa.
A major current trend in rail transport in the USSR is the con-
version from coal to diesel and electrical traction. Although most
of the trains operating in the region are coal burning (or, to a
lesser extent, diesel), electrification is being extended. According
to the Sixth Five-Year Plan, electrification is scheduled for the
entire Mbscau-Kuybyshev-Chelyabinsk line. From Chelyabinsk, this line
is to be electrified as far eastward as Irkutsk. The key north-south
line, -which lies largely to the east of the region, is now electrified
from Chelyabinsk to Kushva, and electrification has been completed on
the Kushva-Serov line. From Kushva eastward to Molotov the line has
already been electrified, and electrification has been planned for
the westward extension of this line to Glazov. Chusovoy and Solikamsk
are also connected by electrified railroad, and plans have been made
to electrify the Sverdlovsk-Kazan'-Moscow line and its branch leading
from Revda to Molotov. During the Sixth Five-Year Plan the Molotov-
Polovinka (near Kizel) line is to be electrified, as well as the line
from Gor'kiy in the extreme western part of the region to Moscow. The
completion of the large hydroelectric power projects in the region will
probably accelerate the extension of railway electrification.
Planned railroad extension and construction are centered mainly
in the Urals in order to facilitate the import of crucial raw materi-
als. A single-track railroad line from Solikamsk to Ukhta on the
Kotlas-Vorkuta line has been proposed and is apparently under construc-
tion. 11-14/ This line will connect the iron ore and industrial com-
plex of the Urals with the Pechora coalfield and will supply the Ural
area with the coking coal that it now lacks.
The Volga-Ural Region will also benefit from the proposed railroad
line along the eastern slope of the Urals from Polunochnoye via
Nyaksimvol' to the Chum-Salekhard line, 15,16/ which in turn will con-
nect with the Kotlas-Vorkuta line. Although this line lies completely
outside the region, it will facilitate the transport of Pechora coal
to industrial centers in the Urals.
Another important railroad development is the line under construc-
tion from the industrial center of Magnitogorsk across the central
Urals to the oil center of Sterlitamak. From Sterlitamak the line is
to continue westward to Abdulino on the Kuybyshev-Ufa line. 17/
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Presumably this line is being built to provide Magnitogorsk with a
direct rail connection with the oilfield in the Tuymazy area. It
will also provide a direct outlet from the South Siberian trunkline
to the European part of the USSR, bypassing the heavily traveled
Chelyabinsk-Ufa-Kuybyshev-Moscow line. Plans call for the completion
of this line during the Sixth Five-Year Plan.
Also scheduled during the Sixth Five-Year Plan is a 320-kilometer
(200-mile) line from Kamensk-Ural'skiy to the Moscow-Kazan'-Sverdlovsk
line in the vicinity of Krasnoufimsk. 14.32/ By bypassing Sverdlovsk,
this line will facilitate east-west through traffic. Slightly east
of the Volga-Ural Region, a line is being built that will run from
Miass to Uchaly and eventually to Magnitogorsk. This line will con-
nect the copper and manganese deposits at Uchaly with processing cen-
ters in other parts of the Urals.
Considerable double tracking is planned for the region according
to the Sixth Five-Year Plan. Double tracking has been planned for
the Kine11-Chkalov, Chkalov--Solt-Iletsk, Ryazant-Ruzayevka, Kanash-
Agryz, and Molotov-Sverdlovsk-Kurgan routes. 12/
B. Inland Waterway Transport*
Inland waterway transport within the Volga-Ural Region is primar-
ily confined to the Volga River and its chief tributaries, the Kama,
Oka, Belaya, and Vyatka Rivers, the major parts of which lie within
the region. The Volga system is the most important inland waterway
in the Soviet Union, carrying about 50 percent (40 million tons of
freight in 1950) of all inland water traffic of the country. 220.6/
According to the Fifth Five-Year Plan, the proportion was to have
increased by 1955 to approximately 58 percent or roughly 5 percent of
the total domestic traffic. 23,p.3/ The Sixth Five-Year Plan calls
for an 80 percent increase of freight carried by inland waterways and
great improvements in the port and transportation facilities.
The Volga River alone carries about 2.5 times as much freight as
the Kama River, which ranks second to it. 21?/ The preeminence of the
Volga is a result of its position and connections. Through its major
tributaries and a series qf canals, the Volga River connects a number
of the economically most important regions of the USSR. The river and
its canals provide continuous water routes from the Caspian Sea to the
industrial centers of Moscow and Leningrad and northward to the White
Sea, thus cutting across the heart of the European part of the Soviet
*Background information was derived from sources 20 and 21,
Appendix B.
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Inland waterways and reservoirs
Beloye Ozero
Rybinsk
Reservoir
Kama
Reservoir
Uglich
Reservoir
Gorodets
Reservoir
Kineshma
Moscow Canal
Moscow Gor
Votkinsk
Reservoir
Kazan'
trefike"
Lower Kama
Reservoir
Kuybyshev
Reservoir
Kuybyshev
So rotor
Reservoir
Saratov
Stalingrad
Reservoir
Tsimlyansk
Reservoir
Volga-Don
Canal
25787 D
CASPIAN SEA
ARAL SEA
0 100 200 300 400 51:410 Statute Miles
0 160 2Co 300 400 500 Kilometers
Dam
rReservoir under construction
40r6
1004Dam
Reservoir scheduled in 6th 5-year Plan
Inland port
Dam
Canal
Existing reservoir
Navigable waterway
Head of navigation*
*Head of navigation as shown by Atlas SSSR, GUGK, Moscow, 1956
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Union. The recently completed Volga-Don Canal links the Volga River
with the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, making Moscow a "port of five
seas." Through its left-bank tributary, the Kama, the Volga serves
as a traffic route for the industrial heart of the Urals.
The Volga River is navigable for about 3,540 kilometers (2,200
miles) to Rzhev, west of Moscow.
The Shcherbakov Dam now guarantees a minimum depth of 2.5 meters
(8 feet) throughout the Volga-Ural Region. 2.Y With the completion
of the Volga dRms planned and under construction the minimum depth
will be greatly increased.* In the past the Kama River was navigable
for nearly 1,300 kilometers (810 miles) 22/ to the mouth of the Vishera,
just above Berezniki, but the dam near Molotov has extended navigation
considerably farther up the river and facilitated shipping on sucb
tributaries as the Obva, Vishera, Kostva, and Chusovaya. The Oka
River, the second largest tributary of the Volga, is navigable beyond
the confluence with its chief tributary, the Moskva River.
Ice limits the navigable period of the Volga River system to about
260 days a year in the south and about 200 days in the north. The
navigation season is generally from April to November. The average
date for the opening of navigation is 7 March at Astrakhan', 7 April
at Stalingrad, 16 April at Kazan', and 25 April at Kostroma. .2q/
The Kama River is navigable from April to October, and the Oka from
April to November.
Bulky commodities are the principal cargoes transported on the
Volga system. Timber, oil, grain, and construction materials comprise
the principal cargoes; of secondary importance are coal, salt, cement,
and manufactured goods (Figures 11 and 12). Upstream traffic consists
largely of oil from Baku and Kuybyshev and grain from Soviet Central
Asia and the areas along the Volga. Timber from the Upper Volga and
Kama areas and manufactured products from the Urals and the industrial
centers along the Volga comprise most of the downstream traffic.
According to goals set by the Fifth Five-Year Plan, 14 percent of the
Volga River traffic was to be oil and 54 percent timber. 22/
Ports along the Volga system are numerous. Among the most impor-
tant are Stalingrad, Saratov, Kuybyshev, Ul'yanovsk, Kazan', Gortkiy,
and Kineshma. Molotov is the most important port on the Kama River;
Kirov, on the Vyatka; and Ufa, on the Belaya River. Few of the ports
on the Volga system have extensive permanent quayage and mechanical
loading and unloading facilities because the great fluctuations in
*These projects are discussed in greater detail on pages 55-57.
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Figure 11. Grain Barges on the Volga near Stalingrad. (1947)
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Figure 12. Log rafts
and a passenger ship
on the Volga near the
Zhiguli -Mountains.
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water level necessitate the use of pontoons and temporary piers.
When the dams projected and under construction along the Volga system
have been completed, the water level will be relatively stable and the
construction of permanent facilities will be possible.
The most commonly used craft for river traffic are freight-
passenger steamers, tugs, and barges. The freight-passenger steamers
are generally side-wheelers or diesel screw driven. They vary in
size and in freight and passenger capacity according to the stretch
of the river on which they operate. In 1946, basic standards for
river vessels were officially established in relation to the waterway
on which they were to operate. New standard tanker barges for the
Volga are of 2,000-, 4,000-, 6,000-, 8,000-, and 12,000-ton capacity.
The total carrying capacity of the Volga-system fleet, including oil
tankers, is estimated at 4,240,000 tons. 32/ When the improvements
on the Volga and Kama Rivers have been completed and these rivers
have been transformed into a series of reservoirs, many of the vessels
currently operating on these rivers will have to be replaced or recon-
structed to meet the new navigation conditions.
The Volga River system is being improved on an enormous scale.
Along the Volga River, eight power dams will create a series of almost
continuous reservoirs stretching from the Upper Volga to Stalingrad.
On the Upper Volga, dans have been completed at Shcherbakov, Uglich,
and Ivan'kovol but the reservoirs of the latter two are small. Four
dams are under construction along the lower and middle courses of the
Volga -- at Gorodets, Cheboksary, Kuybyshev (Figure 13), and Stalin-
grad -- and another dam is scheduled for Balakovo.* The Kuybyshev
reservoir will be about 600 kilometers (375 miles) long and 5 to 35
kilometers (3 to 20 miles) wide; 31/ the other reservoirs will be of
roughly comparable size.
On the Kama River, dams that will provide power and create exten-
sive reservoirs are under construction near Molotov and at Votkinsk.
The reservoir near Molotov has already been filled. It extends 250
kilometers (155 miles) upstream and in some places is as much as 30
kilometers (19 miles) wide (Figure 14). Another dam is scheduled to
be built at Nizhne-Kamskaya in the near future. The completion of
these damq will transform the Kama River also into a series of reser-
voirs.
The completion of the improvements on the Volga River system will
greatly increase its freight capacity. By insuring a constant water
; *Located near Volisk, although the dam is generally referred to
by the Soviets as the Saratovskaya GES.
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Figure 13. Lower navigation lock at the Kuybyshev hydroelec-
tric project, with passenger ship in the background. (1955)
Figure 14. View of the Kama Reservoir. In the foreground
are oil derricks. (1954)
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level, the constructions eliminate some of the chief obstacles to
navigation, suCh as shallowness in late summer (especially in the
upper courses) and the constant shifting of the channels resulting
from the deposition of silt.
C. Highway Transport*
Since road transportation has a low priority in the Soviet economy,
the road network of the Volga-Ural Region is generally sparse and in-
adequate. Most of the roads have two lanes and surfaces of dirt or
gravel-improved dirt. They serve primarily as feeder routes to rail-
roads and waterways and as connections between agricultural settle-
ments and towns (Figure 15). Commonly only roads in the vicinity of
or connecting major cities are paved (Figures 16 and 17). In the
Bashkirskaya ASSR, however, there is a rather extensive system of
asphalted roads. This can be accounted for by the proximity of
asphalt deposits. Dirt roads are trafficable in the winter when they
are frozen and in summer when they are dry but very dusty. In the
winter, roads are often blocked by snow. During the spring and
autumn rains, dirt roads become impassable. Trafficability on improved
roads varies, depending upon the degree of improvement and the effi-
ciency of maintenance.
Traffic on the roads of the region is generally light. Motor traf-
fic consists chiefly of trucks, which operate between and in the vi-
cinity of the major cities; automobile traffic is generally light.
Although the larger cities are connected by bus, intercity truck and
bus traffic is limited somewhat by the poor condition of the roads
and by snow during the winter.
Only the larger centers are connected by improved roads. A main
east-west trunk route leads from Moscow through Vladimir, Gor'kiy, and
Kazan' to Ufa. An important branch of this road connects Vladimir
with Ivanovo and Kostroma; farther to the east another branch leads to
Ul'yanovsk. Kazan', an important road junction, is connected by an
improved road with Kuybyshev on the left bank of the Volga. Another
interregional road leads from Kazan' via Molotov to Solikamsk, and a
branch of this road continues from Malmyzh to Kirov. The central Volga
area is connected with Moscow by another east-west road that leads
through Penza to Kuybyshev (Figures 18 and 19). In the Ural area an
improved road runs northward from Chkalov via Sterlitamak, Ufa, and
Izhevsk to Igra, where it connects with the Kazanl-Solikamsk road.
Other improved roads lead from Sterlitamak via Beloretsk to Chelyabinsk
and from Sverdlovsk to Nizhniy Tagil and Molotov.
*Background information was derived from sources 32 and 33,
Appendix B.
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Figure 15. Unimproved dirt road leading to a village
near Orsk. (ca. 194-1.6)
Figure 16. Improved road in the suburbs of Michurinsk
in Tambovskaya Oblast' . (1955)
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Figure 17. Improved road leading from Syzrani to Kuybyshev. (1955)
Figure 18. Improved road west of Penza. (1955)
Figure 19. Improved road west of Penza.
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A current trend toward improvement in the Soviet road network is
designed to increase long-distance truck traffic. The Sixth Five-
Year Plan calls for a doubling of the amount of freight carried by
automotive transport. 31Y Since the Volga-Ural Region plays an im-
portant role in the Soviet economy, extensive improvement in its road
network can be expected in the near future.
D. Air Transport
Air transport in the Volga-Ural Region is limited mainly to pas-
senger traffic; aircraft are not important carri9rs of freight. As
with other branches of transport, Moscow is the center for scheduled
airline connections with the major cities in the region, but many cit-
ies are interconnected by airlines. Among the major cities served by
air are Stalingrad, Vladimir, Gortkiy, Penza, Saratov, Kazan', Kuyby-
shev, Chkalov, Ufa, Izhevsk, Kirov, and Molotov. Daily air connect-
ions are generally available to these cities. The operating efficiency
of these airlines has been rising in recent years.
E. Pipelines
Up to the present time, pipelines have played a relatively in-
significant role in the transportation pattern of the Volga-Ural Region.
Although the existing pipelines were constructed to connect the major
oilfields with refining centers, they are not the region's most im-
portant medium for the transportation of petroleum. Pipeline con-
struction has lagged far behind the very rapidly growing oil industry.
Most of the petroleum in the region is transported by rail and water,
even though the railroads are overburdened and the cost of rail trans-
port is high. In the past few years, however, increasing emphasis has
been placed on the construction of pipelines.
According to the Fifth Five-Year Plan, the amount of petroleum
transported by pipeline was scheduled for an increase of 400 percent
by the end of 1955, whereas the increase scheduled for rail and water
transport varied from 75 to 95 percent. 35,p.24/ The Sixth Five-Year
Plan calls for a "six-fold increase" in the amount of petroleum carried
by pipeline.
Existing petroleum pipelines are primarily in the Bashkirskaya
ASSR, KUybyshevskaya Oblast', and the Tatarskaya ASSR. 2?./ Four lines
reportedly will connect the Bashkirskaya ASSR with Western Siberia. The
first, a recently constructed oil pipeline 1,332 kilometers (830 miles)
long, connects Tuymazy with the Omsk refinery in Western Siberia 37/
via Chelyabinsk and Petropavlovsk; a second pipeline paralleling it is
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Rybinsk
Reservoir
Yaroslavl'
Moscow
Canal
Moscow
Goekiy
SECRET
Oil pipeline network
Armet'yevsk
Kazan
t(orna
Ryazan'
25787 E
Morshansk
0 Bryansk
Archedao
Tsimlyansk
Reservoir
Yelshanka
0
Syzran'
Saratov
Stalingrad
Volga-Don
Canal
190
Astrakhaniv
a.,
200
O 100 260 360 460 560 Kilometers
Minibayevo
Romashkino.'? a
BavlY Shk
apriNo