Part Three: The Volftsun Siblings 107
Seversk (Се верск) is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, located 15
kilometers northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom
River. Founded in 1949, the city was known as Pyaty Pochtovy
Yashik (Пя тый Почто вый Ящик) until 1954 and as Tomsk-7
(Томск-7) until 1992.
Seversk is the site of Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises
(SGCE), founded in 1954. It comprises several nuclear
reactors and chemical plants for separation, enrichment, and
reprocessing of uranium and plutonium. Nuclear warheads were
produced and stored in the town. One of the most serious
nuclear accidents at SGCE occurred on April 6, 1993, when a
tank containing a highly radioactive solution exploded.
The town was a secret city in the Soviet Union until President
Boris Yeltsin decreed in 1992 that such cities could use their
historical names. As was the tradition with Soviet towns
containing secret facilities, Tomsk-7 is actually a P.O. Box
number, implying that the place was located some distance om
the city of Tomsk. Despite the order removing Seversk's secret
status, the city still remains closed to non-residents. In 2002,
about 109,000 people were shown to be living in the city.
The Closed City of Seversk
years before Inna and her family immigrated to
Israel in 1998.
Ida and David both died of cancer in Tomsk.
Though difficult to prove, Ida's sister Inna
believes that the radiation levels in Tomsk-7
exposed her sister to added risk. There is
compelling evidence that systematic release
of radioactivity and accidents dangerously
contaminated much of the region around
Seversk/Tomsk-7.
