Balashikha

Balashikha (Russian: Балашиха, IPA: [bəlɐˈʂɨxə]) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is on the Pekhorka River 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) east of the Moscow Ring Road.

Balashikha (English)
Балашиха (Russian)
-  City[1]  -
Balashikha Collage 01.png
Clockwise: Lenina Avenue, Balashikha-Arena, Balashikha railway station. Balashikha cotton mill #1
Missing map.svg
Coat of arms of Balashikha.svg
Flag of Balashikha.svg
Coat of arms
Flag
Administrative status
CountryRussia
Federal subjectMoscow Oblast[1]
Administratively subordinated toBalashikha City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
Municipal status
Urban okrugBalashikha Urban Okrug[2]
HeadSergey Yurov
Representative bodyCouncil of Deputies
Statistics
Area244.18 km2 (94.28 sq mi)[2]
Population (2010 Census,
preliminary)
215,494 inhabitants[3]
Rank in 201086th
Density883/km2 (2,287/sq mi)[4]
Time zoneMSK (UTC+04:00)
Founded1830[5]
City status since1939
Postal code(s)143xxx
Dialing code(s)+7 495
Official website

Name origin

In Finno-Ugric languages,[which?] Bala-shika means land of celebrations, land of laughter and fun.[6] Finnic peoples lived in this area before Slavs.

Geography

The city is known for its unique river and waterway system. The Pekhorka River system covers an area of 40 kilometers (25 mi) from north to south and 20 kilometers (12 mi) from east to west. Many small lakes and ponds were created by damming to provide water power for the cotton mills in the 19th century.

History

Balashikha was established in 1830.[5] It was given town status in 1939.[7]

The city is on the famous Vladimir Highway. This was the route that convicted criminals were forced to take to get to labor camps in Siberia.

Military

Balashikha is the site of a large Russian Army base. It was closed to foreigners during the Soviet era. It was the headquarters of the 1st Corps of the Soviet Air Defense Forces and is now to become the headquarters of the Operational-Strategic Command for Missile-Space Defense. Balashikha is also a base for ODON (Internal security division). Balashikha is home to Military Unit 35690, which is a training facility used by the Federal Security Service.[8]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Balashikha is twinned with:[9][10]

Balashikha Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Law #11/2013-OZ
  2. 2.0 2.1 Law #208/2014-OZ
  3. "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1[[Category:Articles containing Russian language text]]". Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); no-break space character in |accessdate= at position 9 (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  4. The value of density was calculated automatically by dividing the 2010 Census population by the area specified in the infobox. Please note that this value may not be accurate as the area specified in the infobox does not necessarily correspond to the area of the entity proper or is reported for the same year as the population.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Энциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 35. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
  6. "Топонимия Балашихи". Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  7. Balashikha. Official page. History.
  8. Bellingcat Investigation Team (February 17, 2020). "V" For "Vympel": FSB's Secretive Department "V" Behind Assassination of Georgian Asylum Seeker in Germany. bellingcat. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2020/02/17/v-like-vympel-fsbs-secretive-department-v-behind-assassination-of-zelimkhan-khangoshvili/. "Most frequent were Krasikov’s visits to FSB’s highly secure Special Operations Center in Balashiha, a suburb just outside Moscow. This heavily guarded facility, known as Military Unit 35690, was the original military base for the KGB’s Vympel Spetsnaz unit, and now serves as headquarters for the FSB’s CSO, as well the home-base of the elite and secretive Departments V and A.". 
  9. "Сергей Юров предложил создать группу по работе с городами-побратимами". balashiha.ru (in русский). Balashikha. 2017-09-09. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  10. "Балашиха и китайский Янчжоу будут сотрудничать в экономике и культуре". balashiha.ru (in русский). Balashikha. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-02-04.[dead link]

Other websites