1. TOWN OF NIKEL 2. PECHENGSKIY NIKELKOMBINAT

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• Content Type: REPORT

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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.S. 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.
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.COUNTRY USSR (Murmansk Oblast)
1. Town of Nikel
2. Pechengskiy Nikelkombinat
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 23 July 1954
NO. OF PAGES i L
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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1. Upon arrival at Nikel (N 69-26, E 30-17) on the morning of 19 February 1953,
all the recruits of the Nikelkombinat were interviewed by the head of the per-
sonnel
tdela kadrov), Comrade N. M. Kudryashov. Kudryashov
stick as he is slightly lame in
one leg. Kudryashov retained the na ravl eni e
s.si nment certificate) and the trudovaya knizhka (labor book).
there were no vacancies in his line of ;work but o ere a
f loader with the motor transport section (avtotransportnyy tsekh).
given a chit for Comrade Gerasimov, head of the transport section,
an of to call at the dispatching office (dispecherskaya). also given
another chit for the head of the communal accommodation section zhilishchno-
komm unalny otdel) in order to obtain a billet. Quarters were arranged
in a hostel at Sovetskaya Ulitsa 6, where workers in the motor transport section
were living at the time. Later, the workers were moved to Ulitsa Mikoyana 7.
2. The hostel at Sovetskaya Ulitsa 6 was actually a small Finnish prefabricated
wooden house consisting of an entrance hall, a kitchen straight ahead, with a
bedroom on each side of the hall. One room housed male employees and the other
female. The furniture in each room consisted of one wardrobe, six iron beds,
a table, and six stools. There was no bathroom and the toiler was situated
about 30 meters away in a woods. This billet rented for 36 rubles per month.
The hostel had some cockroaches but no other vermin.
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3. On an average aayl rose at about 0600. hours washe& in-the.=kitchen in a
wash basin with water by the There was no running
25X1 water in this house. buy soap lat the store,paying
about 20 rubles per cake. then dressed and proceeded to the canteen of the
25X1 combine on Gvardeyskiy Prospekt,lI had breakfast. This canteen
known among the workers as "Mother-in-:]aw's" ( oP idem k teshche), opened
25X1 up for service every day from 0600 to 0900, from 1100 1500,and 1 00 to 2100
hours; later it stayed open until 2230 hours. started day by
having a two-course meal at this canteen at about 0700 hours. This consisted
25X1 soup with bread followed by a meat or fish dish with potatoes.
I Isubstantial meal first thing in the morning because it was
25X1 usually only possible to have a snack at lunch time.
4 _ 1 at the dispatching office (dispecherskaya) at 0800 hours
25X1 wheredriver, When the latter had obtained his putevka
(work ticket , proceeded with their truck to the destination ordered.
The work consisted usually of transporting coal from the svalka (dump),which
25X1 was not far from the gasoline station on the way to the Arctic Highway, to
various places where buildings were being erected. On occasions when the
25X1 snow was heavy.,they had to help to clear the roads by shovelling it to the
side of the road. The official end of work was at 1700 hours,but this varied
25X1 by an hour or so each day, according to work cn hand. At the end of the day,
the driver used to drop near his billet, without reporting
back to the office, and proceeded to the motor transport department of the
25X1 combine.
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5. On arrival at his billet in the evenings] washed and. changed and then
gathered at " -in-law's" canteen together with the other men from
billet. again had a similar meal as in the morning,which cost
about 10 to 12 rubles. At times they had a few drinks in their billet,
usually vodka or pure spirits. Only beer was available in the canteen. The
rest of the evening was spent in the billet plavini cards either with friends
or with the girls living in the opposite room. sometimes visited the
movie or the local club (for workers of the combine) on Ulitsa Mikoyana.
Normally went to bed at about 2200 to 2300 hours.
6. The director of the Pechengskiy Nikelkombinat is Gorniy Direktor A. Petrov,
who is referred to by the workers as Gorniy General Direktor(M4.ning:. Director-
General). The combine was._ compos:ed':of the following:-units and'.officess
25X1 a. The main office is on Gvardeyskiy Prospekt;_...j._ controls, . all the
administrative elements including the personnel department (otdel 1jadro
25X1 situated in another house on the same street; the communal accommodation
department (zhilishchno-kommunalnotdel) on Ulitsa Mikoyana; the book-
keeping department, the records and planning department.,and others.
b. The nickel mines (rudnik) are.loca.eda.few kilometers
north of Nikel. The underground work is well mechanized and some of the
crude ore is sent by trucks to the metallurgical plant at Nikel. The
work at the mines is in three shifts,but :.source `-was: unable to estimate
the number of workers employed.
c. The metallurgical plant (metallurgiches iv tsekh) is situated just north
of the town of Nikel. I Ionly part of the crude ore
is processed at this plant and is then sent to Liinkamari by trucks,jfor
' shipment, probably to Murmansk. Other crude ore is transported also by
trucks, direct from the mines to Liinakhamari (N 69-38, E 31-201. The
work at this plant is also performed in three shifts.
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c'.. The general supplies unit is known as 'rQdanaab(prodovolstvennoye snab-
zheniye). This general supplies. unit of r the combine controls and supplies
food and goods to all canteens, buffets.,. and several shops. This unit
possesses its own transport and-collects newly arrived goods at Liinakhamari
(N 69-38, E 31-20).
e. A local building concern called Zhilstro (Zhilishcho Stroitelstvo.) be-
longs to the combine. It erects: new houses in ikel for the workers employed
by the combine.
C. The motor transport shop (avtotransportnyy tsekh) also belongs to the
combine. Most of the transports consist of large diesel trucks. There
are more than 100 vehicles altogetherf including one or two sedans for the
director and other.: officials. There are also about-'six motor buses to trans-
port the workers. Approximately 200 persons are employed in the motor trans-
port shop.
A wood working factory (DOZ - Derovo-Obdelechnyy Zavod) is located on the
same lako as Nikel, in a district called Zarechye. About 100 to 150 per-
sons are employed there... The sai.ll and carpenters' shop of the factory
meet. the requirements of the bUad g program of the combine.
h. The Forest Sector (Lesouohastok) covers the area around the 140-kilometer
point onthe Arctic g wa Hewn trees are towed in to the nearest point
on the highway, loaded on trucks,, and- transported to the wood working factory
at Nike.. The the fiber is mmde into planks, doors, window frames, and
other building materials.1
7. The nickel mines are located about four kilometers north of the village. Be-
fore the Second World War,, the nickel mines were operated by a Canadian firm
under an agreement with the Finnish Government. Since the Soviets took the
area over, the mines have been under the control of a Soviet mine-operating
enterprise known as the Pecbengskiy Nikelkombinat (Pe-chenga Nickel Combine),
which is s tbgrdi,#.ate?.. to the Ministry of Nonferrous Metallurgy (Ministerstvo
LzvetnoZ
The ?metallurgical division is at the.:mine site, It probably processes the ore
to a coxtc4 extent. However, the is shipped from Nikel in a relatively
unprocessed etate. The *M is transported to the coast in trucks,,which appear
to have been specially bui3,t for they-purpose. The trucks havecapacities of
up ,to tin tone
The mo. for tr sport sCctign. (ay' otr_ o otdel , of the kombint in Nikel
transport satd., coals and c ther ~.t 0 Sometimes lumber is picked up at a
factory in like1 and. is delivered to various parts of the a0maunity and to
this brims. 'Tbe brickyard l t.. aD4`gted at the 9].-ki.ldmeter< point on the
A c .o Hi hvay~, and the lfi ber is ued for repair workthere . Roofing tiles
9# picked up,at tbe. brickyard aAd transported to Nikel. The see--
,
tion aijig 40
14 th swvylayi 'and hauls snow in Nikel during the winter.
The head o ,the motor transport section is Gerasimov (fnu).
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17,. Nikel has a club, and there are movies and sometimes concerts at the settlement.
20.
21.
224
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23.
Source saw the following movies while in like).: Maxim a film which deals with
the lives of Russian sailor's in 18501 i Aineriki (Friends and Enemies
of A rica); Razi mt (The Break); and. Os ddnni Rend T Last Round). A ticket
the movies cotes fry 3.00 to 11.50 zu s the price, depending on the location
of the seat. The front rows are least held at the club and
are freciuented mostly by young peop]:e? a ticket to a dance
costs six rubles..
Pec gkaaya Pravda,, the local ne'Vopaper for the western part of the Murmanskaya
Oblast, is published in Nikel. AnotbXr newspaper, called. Sovetskaya Peche
is published two or three times a week.
Snowstorms are frequent in the area around. Nikel. Thawing begins in about April.
By May there is no snow left on the roads, though patches of it remain in the
woods. It rains in May, but not very often. On the whole, the weather is very
c har able sometimes clear and sometimes cloudy. F_ 1
By the end of May, the days are extremely long; the stun hardly dis-
appears at all.
The terrain around Nikel is ' '`several hills. In addition to the hills
shown on the plan of Nikel (See tab or Nikel, page 9), there are other hills
of equal height in the area. The region is sparsely wooded and does not differ
remarkably from the rest of the sub-arctic section of the Murmanskaya Oblast.
As a civilian
inoculated f T.T.B. t hoid
in I.en ad
also inoculated against tetanus atolbn).
these inoculations were only given to the workers by their
respect employers and were not automatically given to the whole of the popu-
lation of the Soviet union.
There is an airfield ar Nikel
most of the workers now employed at the Forest Sector
14-kiltmteters were previously working at this projected airfield clearing tim-
ber. This was completed in October 1952, when all of them were sent to the
Forest Sector-.
The following types of trucks were used by the Nikelko binat:
MA. Minsk Aytomobilnyy Zayod) and YaAZ (Ysrosla Avtomobilnyy Zavod),j
lO-ton ve cles, some of w ch are dump tI+ucks. These trucks are used with
trailers and source heard from some of the drivers that the truck with a
trailer formed a.25-ton combination.
Five*ton vebleles, built by ZI$ (Moscow).
Four-ton vehicles, new pfttwar design built by ZIS, known as ZIS 150,
d. Three-ton veh,ic~eg, also built by ZIS.
One-a td- -hs.].f Eton vehica es$ built by {IAZ (Gorkiy).
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6
Sketch of Nikel
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1.
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2.
as a store and the canteen is situated on the first floor.
3. Fire Station. This is situated not far away from the main office of
the combine and is a one-story stone h
where a fireman is always on duty.
fire engines lare specially built vehicles similar
to those he tia seen in Leningrad, and are painted red.
4+. Personnel Section (Otdel Kadrov), of the combine. 'Further, along, on 'Gvarda
eyskiy Prospekt;..:-.it is situ ted in a semi-basement of one of the four
stone dwellings located there. This section occupies about three rooms.
5~ Hospital. The only hospital in the town, a large plastered stone building
standing on a hillock.
6. New buildings, !_under',construction..as of June 1953.
7~ A military memorial built on a concrete base with various shells with
a star on top. This monument stands at the corner of Ulitsa Pobedy and
Gvardeyskiy Prospekt.
8. Three-story.,plasteredabrick houses mainly occupied by workers' families.
9. Rayvoyenkomat. it, was previously in. the Dbm Okhra 30,
where the Voyenno- c e nyy Stol still remains.
10. Directorate: of.:the..Arctic jiighway. (Upravleniye Zapoayarnoy . oro .). is on
Gvardeyskiy Prospekto occupying two houses nearly opposite the weighing
platform.
11. Weighing. platformfor weighing trucks loaded with crude ore. Built of
wood, completely roofed; there is a small office within.
12. Buffet. A small,onestory,wooden house constructed of planks is used
as a buffet where light refreshment and alcoholic drinks may be obtained.
This buffet',, is locally known as "3 ob, m Utrom" (good morning) because
it begins serving alcoholic drinks from 0600 hours.
13. Two more plastered stone houses used by families. One bf these contains
a provision shop.
14~ A memorial.
15. Metallurgical plant. This is the main plant of the combine and is
surrounded by a high fence with large gates.
16. Hostel. Finnish prefabricated wooden bungalow at Sovetskaya Ulitsa 6.
17. Other Finnish prefabricated wooden bungalows,all occupied as billets for
single and married workers.
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Legend to Sketch of Nikel
Pechengskiy Nikelkombinat. Headquarters of the combine is situated
on Gvardeyskiy Prospekt in a three -st
plastered outside and painted cream.
Canteen. Opposite the main office of the combine there is a fairly
large canteen in a two-story house,,,which is built of stone on the
ground floor and of wood on the first floor. The ground floor is used
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18. Hostel On....- Ulitsa Mikoyana 7. It is in a plastered stone house.
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19. Headquarters of the Militia. It is located at the corner of Ulitsa
Mikoyana and another road. A stone house painted yellow. There used
to be a sign outside reading: "Pechen ski Rayonniy Otdel Militsii
MGB Murmanskoy Oblasti". This was taken down shortly before June 19 3.
20. Children's Clinic (Detskaya Konsultatsiya).It was probably controlled
by the hospital. This is housed in a Finnish prefabricated wooden bunga-
low.
21. Public baths. A large two-story house of plastered brick, with a barber
the ground floor and Russian baths upstairs.
Imen's barber shop~and Othree barbers were
employed there on Saturdays and Sundays. A haircut cost 1.10
rubles.
some "local ladies" with permanents.
bundles of washing could be left at the laundry. The
baths on the first floor nere divided into one for men and the other for
women. The men's part consisted of a changing room, a washing room
where there were tin basins, showers, and a steam room which was fitted
out with wooden benches to lie on. The charge was 1.50 rubles.
22. Small garden. It was known as Skver Skulptury and was newly built with
shrubs planted in May 1953. There are two statues of a man and a woman
representing Fizkulturniki (Sportsmen). A small metal fence surrounds
this square.
23. Club. A large one-story wooden house, plastered over and painted
white. This club contains a theater which is also frequently used as
a movie. In the foyer to the theater dances are occasionally held
with music supplied by a PA system. In a small room next-!door there
is a buffet where only soft drinks, biscuits,and sweets can be obtained.
The theater is also used for all official functions and meetings.
24. Stadium. This stadium is mainly used for football, volley ball, basket-
ball, and for political rallies. The ground is level and there is a
small stand at one end (A) from which the main speakers give their
speeches on festive occasions, such as May Day. There is another larger
stand (B) for spectators.
25. School. A single-story plastered house; the only school In Nikel
known to',source.
26. A mixture of Rizasi. log cabins and Finnish prefabricated wooden bunga-
lows.
27. A suburb of Nikel called Zarechye,consisting of various types of wooden
cabins and bungalows.
28. The Rayon Executive Committee (ayis_polkom,) is located on Sovetskaya
Ulitsa,opp to the hostel, It is a small Finnish nrefabricated wonde
bungalow.
29. Editorial offices of the newspaper Sovetskaya Pechenga, The offices
are housed in a Finnish prefabricated house.
30. Dom Okhra,. I this house belongs to the civilian
guard employed by the combine. This house is a plastered brick building
of three stories,- :Besides the guards and their families living there,
it houses the Voyenno-Uchetnyy. Stol (military registration desk) for
the whole area,
31. Plastered brick hotidds ;tisdd.as living quarters,.
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pan of Nikel
I Was. one drawn .
up by the Soviets in 1940 when they took over the nickel mines in Nikel;
the plan represented a proposed scheme for laying out the settlement.
Many of the buildings shown on the plan wre never constructed.
most of the buildings located on the plan within the block
bordered by Sovetskaya Ulitsa, Gvarde ski pros ekt and litsa Mikoyana
had not been built by spring 1953. those'-build
ings mentioned in the following list and pinpointed on the plan are the only
ones in existence in spring 1953. The numbered
items in tfte egen correspond to the numbered places on the. sketch on page 9..
Legend to Plan of Nikel
1. Stadium. Local teams -play football here.l
2. Prefabricated buildings Finnski e domiki).
3. Small grocery store.
4. Nikelkombinat workers' club. This is a stucco building containing a movie
theater, small library, and other facilities.
5. Public bath. This is a two-story stone building.
6. Prefabricated buildings Finnski e domiki).
7. School. This is a one-story stucco buildi
n .
it definitely is not
a e i um.
8. Nikelkombinat bachelors'dormitory. This single-story wooden building is
located at Sovetskaya Ulitsa 6. The dormitory is. divided into two sections
with a kitchen in the middle. About ten male workers live in one section
and about ten female workers in the other section.
Rayon Executive
10. Nikelkombinat bachelors' dormitory. This is a three-story stucco building.
The address here is Ulitsa Mikoyana 5.
11. Nikelkombinat bachelors' dormitory. This is a three-story stucco, building.
The address here is Ulitsa Mikoyana 7.
12. Nikelkombinat apartment house. Workers with families are quartered in this
three-story stucco building. The address'here is Ulitsa Mikoyana 9.
13. Children's library. This stone building is somewhat smaller than the
ones used for living quarters. The address here is Ulitsa Mikoyana 11.
14. Rayon section of the militia precinct (ravotdel m tsii). The passport
desk (pasDortnvv stol) is located here. The address is Ulitsa Mikoyana 13.
14a. Children's clinic.
14b. Bread shop.
arranged stucco apartment houses.
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15. Nikelkombinat apartment houses. Eight of these stucco buildings are on
Ulitsa Pobedy. In the southwesternmost. of these eight buildings there
is a store which sells household goods and other consumer items. East
of this group of eight buildings, on. another street which links Ulitsa
Mikoyana with Gvardeyskiy Prospekt, there are some smaller and less formally
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16. Rayvoyenkomat. The rayvoyenkomat is located in the center building
of ibis group of three _ -s ory brick buildings.
17~ Nikelkombinat hospital. This is a large hospital,. situated on a hill.
It is a long low building, about two or three stories high, of cream-
colored stone or stucco,
18. ding was still under construction in spring 19
out six stories high
I it is
19.. Monument. This monument
on the square.
is located
20. Monument. This monumen is located
on the square.
21. Good Morning Buffet (S Dobrym Utrom Bufetka).
22. Nikelkombinat personnel section ((Itdel kadrov). These are stone buildings
more than two stories high.,
23. Apartment houses. These buildings are similar in construction to the
otdel kadroy buildings (# 22 on this plan).
24+. Fire station. This building has a tower. The type of construction is
similar to that of the hospital (# 17 on this plan). A red fire engine
is parked here.
25. Nikelkombinat administrative offices. This building is of similar con-
struction to the hospital (# 17 on this plan).
26. Military registration desk (voyenno-ucheettn~y stol). The building in
which this office is located is constructed similar to the hospital
(# 17 on this plan).,
27. Dinin hall. This is a large e to
eat.
it is a large number, including most of those workers
who do not have families in Nikel.
28. Nikelkombinat buildings. This stone building and the one beside it (28a)
are known locally as the Kanadskiye Doma. These buildings were erected
1?y the Canadian company which operated the local nickel mines before
the Second World War.
28a. Grocery store. See description above (# 28).'.
29. Monument.
Garage. This is a wooden building.
truck is kept in this garage.
is in the center of the square.
31. Garage. This is a small w Ede building.
32. Nikelkombinat dispatcher's office. This small wooden building houses
the office of the dispatcher for the Nikelkombinat motor pool.
33. Nikelkombinat guard building and gate. This is the entrance to the Nikel-
kombinat.factory area. A guard is posted here.
34+. Nikelkombinat factory.
]the area is surrounded by a two-meter-high wooden fence.
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18a.. New building. This structure was still under construction in spring 1953.
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