Donguz test site, Military testing facility in Orenburg Oblast, Russia.
The Donguz test site is a military facility in Orenburg Oblast, in southern Russia, used for testing military equipment and storing ammunition. It is operated from an administrative center in the settlement of Pervomaysky and serves as an evaluation ground for military systems.
The site was established as a military testing ground during the Soviet period and grew into a major complex for ammunition testing and storage. In 2012, a large explosion caused serious damage and led to the evacuation of the surrounding areas.
Within the restricted perimeter, one of the last largely undisturbed steppe landscapes in Europe has survived because public access has been closed off for decades. The tight military control has unintentionally helped protect the native plants and animals of the Donguz Steppe.
The site is closed to the public and access is limited to authorized military personnel and government representatives. Anyone traveling in the area should keep a safe distance, as the perimeter is actively monitored.
The long closure of the site since Soviet times has allowed a steppe ecosystem to survive here that has largely disappeared elsewhere due to farming and settlement. Scientists regard the area as a reference point for studying the original state of Eurasian steppes.
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