“The asbestos factory closed last year. The crushed stone plant is closing this year. What the hell kind of fitness club are you thinking about opening?”
This conversation, in this summer’s hit Russian TV series Chiki, takes place in southern Russia. But the description could apply to many towns in the country, and its monotowns – settlements organised around single enterprises – in particular.
With the recent disastrous diesel spill in Norilsk, attention has once again fixed on the problems facing Russia’s Arctic, and its monotowns - of which there are a dozen between Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Komi and Krasnoyarsk - in particular. Since the collapse of the Soviet social contract - under which enterprises guaranteed conditions - towns and cities in Russia’s Arctic have had to bear a heavier load, both in terms of social services and infrastructure.
