Living on top of a Siberian diamond mine

Living on top of a Siberian diamond mine

June 17, 2016 ANDREI ISKROV, SPECIAL TO RBTH

The entire existence of Mirny, Russia, revolves around the enormous pit that is the town's diamond mine. The precious stones attract a steady flow of newcomers looking for work, but the town's residents are divided when it comes to their feelings: While some say Mirny is the best place in the world, others feel trapped in it.

The city of Mirny, located in one of Russia’s coldest and most remote regions, exists for one reason and one reason only – diamonds. Indeed, the place owns its very name to the giant pit on the periphery of the town: the Mir (“Peace”) diamond mine, located on one of the world's richest diamond deposits.

Mirny (Russian for 'peaceful') was built in the 1950s, growing around a diamond mining operation started by the Soviet government after several rich diamond fields were discovered in the Siberian republic of Yakutia, located above the Arctic Circle some 5,280 miles east of Moscow, with winter temperatures going as low as -94° F.

Mirny is a typical example of what the Russians call a monogorod – a city dominated by a single company. Most of Mirny’s 35,000 residents work in the mine, which now belongs to Alrosa, the world's largest diamond miner.

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http://rbth.com/politics_and_society/2016/06/17/living-on-top-of-a-siberian-diamond-mine_603823

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