TOWN OF IRKUTSK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004200780005-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 23, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004200780005-5
CENTRAL. INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.B. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
SECRET/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
COUNTRY USSR (Irkutsk Oblast)
SUBJECT Town df Irkutsk
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
This is UNEVALUATED Information
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 23 July 1954
NO. OF PAGES 3
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
25X1
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The main street in Irkutsk is Prospekt Karla Marksa. It was formerly named
Bolshaya Ulitsa. It begins on the embarkment (naberezhnaya) of the Angara River
and stretches across the town west to east to the Ushakovka River. This street
is one of the few in Irkutsk with a macadamized surface; all the other streets
still have the traditional bulyzhnik (large round cobble stone). Sad Parizhskoy
Kommuny, a municipal park with a small fun, fair, cafes, and a dancing platform,
is situated on the embankment at the;point where Prospekt Karla Marksa begins.
2.. The landing pier just north of the municipal park is for ferries which ply across
the Angara River. The river ferry crosses at this point, keeping well south of
the islands lying in the river,"and calls at a landing pier south of the main
railroad station on the other side of the river.
25X1
3. As one proceeds along Prospekt Karla Marksa west to east, the first building on
the right is the theater. (Dramaticheak.iy Teatr), an old stone building probably
built before the Revolution. This is the main theater in town and all the best
productions are staged here. There is a small garden. in this area which is possibly
NAVY
I X AIR X FBI AEC
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25 YEAR
RE-L?~'tII~\AI
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004200780005-5
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named Teatralniy Sad. A little farther on, at a corner bn the same side of the
street, there is a gastronom which occupies the entire ground floor of a four-
story building. Some of the upper floors were at the time occupied by the head-
quarters of the OKR (SMERSH) of the Eastern Siberian Military District, according
to an outside sign. There is a movie theater'on the right side of the street.
It is housed in a three-story, plastered brick building, which is in a very
dilapidated state of repair. Another movie theater is located in an old two-
story house on the; left side of the street just opposite the above-mentioned
movie theater. This movie is not as good as the one on the right side of the
street. The Xomendatura for the town is located on the right side of this main
street at approximately its midpoint. This is a fairly well looked after plastered
brick building, which also contains the Military Guard Room for the town. The com-
manding officer at the time was Captain Ponemorenko, a very unpopular officer with
the local troops. A restaurant called the "Angara" is on the left side of the
street)east and not far from the Komendatura. This appears to be the best restau-
rant in town and the building is in a good state of repair. A third movie theater
is located in a two-story house also on the left side of the street. This is the
best movie theater in Irkutsk. Zavod imeni Kuybysheva, a machine construction
plant, is a large factory just west of the bridge over the Ushakovka River on the
left side of the street. This factory covers a large area and is surrounded by
a two-meter-high brick wall. Only one large building, which has two stories,
can be seen from the outside wall.
4. On the street going south off Prospekt Karla Marksa at the corner where the
gastronom is situated, there is another theater, called the Teatr Yunogo Zritelya,
where plays for the younger members of the population are produced. This theater
seats approximately 500 persons.
5. The square nortb of Pros7nekt Karla a n lon er called Ploshchad Tretogo
Internatsionala The Oblispolkom,
a mining educational institute, and the town library are located here. 25X1
It was said that there Is an airfield on the other side of the Ushakov River in the
northeastern part of the towns suburbs. there is a fairly
large mica plant (slyudinaaya fabrika) somewhere in Irkutsk. 25X1
7. The main prison is located in the Ushakovskaya Storona, in the same prison build-
ing which was used before the Revolution.
The main railroad station in Irkutsk is located on the western side of the Angara
River and is known as Irkutsk Pervyy. It is a large stone building kept in a
good state of repair. There are two passenger platforms with two tracks each
and another platform with a single track used mainly as a troop loading ramp.
The following express trains were handled by this station:
Mo.scow?- Irkutsk
Moscow Chita (N 52-03, E 113-30)
Moscow - Khabarovsk (N 48-30, E 135-06)
Moscow - Vladivostok (N 43-08, E 131-54)
There were also the following local trains (prigorodniye):
Irkutsk - Krasnoyarsk (N 56-02, E 92.48)
Irkutsk Kansk'(N k5-59, E 133-59)
Irkutsk - Chita
There is another railroad station in Irkutsk which is called Irkutsk Vtoroy
and is located approximately seven kilometers north of Irkutsk Pervyy. This is
a freight station serving a factory area, and it handles no passenger traffic.
On the whole, the Irkutsk area enjoys a healthful climate. The winters begin
about October and the first snow usually falls on about the Day of the October
Revolution (7 November). Winter temperatures are approximately minus 570 C
Warmer weather comes in April but the temperature is never higher than 300 C.. in
suer. There is much snow in winter. Rainfall is light, and it comes mainly
in fall.
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004200780005-5
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10. The area around Irkutsk is composed entirely of vast Siberian forests (tayga)
intermingled with rivers and lakes. There are three rivers in Irkutsk itself,
the Angara, the Irkut, and the Ushakovka; all freeze in winter. The Angara is
a very fast-flowing river, and because of this does not freeze until the end
of November or the beginning of December. For the same reason it frees itself
of ice as early as the beginning or middle of March. Even in mid-summer the
water remains ice cold and is never used for bathing by the local inhabitants,
who bathe:'.in the Irkut and Ushakovka instead. These two rivers are slow-flowing.
11. The local population suffers from scurvy (tsynga) caused by the lack of certain
vitamins. There are also some cases of malignant.anthrmc (sobirskaya yazva).
12. In 19+6, the Irkutsk local authorities began to lay the track of the first street-
car line in the town. It was to run from the main railroad station through the
town to the Voyennv~r r k where a streetcar depot was to be built. The track
was laid in a very slipshod way, and everything was speeded up to have this line
completed by 7 November 1946. On the Day of the October Revolution the line was
officially opened by the local Communist leaders, and the first streetcar began
its Journey from the railroad station to the Voyennyy Gorodok. It proceeded on
its route, watched by an admiring population, until it reached the middle of the
town, where it broke down. The streetcar was then toyed away by a truck. In 1947,
the people were still waiting for their streetcar system.
13. Open cast coal mines are located at Cherimkhovo, approximately 120 kilometers from
Irkutsk. In 19+5 - 1946 coal was brought from these mines and used at the barracks
complex at Irkutsk.
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004200780005-5