Federal Special Construction Troops (Spetsstroy)
Federal Special Construction Agency
Ulitsa Bolshaya Bolotnikovskaya 4, 117556 Moscow, Russian Federation
Special Construction was the highest technical and most qualified engineering entity in the former Soviet Union. It was involved in building all of the former Soviet Union's nuclear and non-nuclear missile launching pads and silos, the Soviet space station, several chemical and oil industry plants and pipelines, and other installations requiring the highest technologies of the former Soviet Union.
Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy Russia) carries out the construction of special facilities and production for defense and national security, the rule of law, improvement of troops, housing and the construction of social infrastructure for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies, objects mobilization the appointment of federal bodies of state power, as well as special facilities operational equipment of the Russian Federation for their defense, including those federal programs and investment programs subjects of the Russian Federation.
Acting in accordance with the license (registration number GS - 1-77-01-22-0-77262-0888-005824-4 of 19 September 2002), issued Gosstroem Russia, Federal Agency for Special Construction carries out construction of buildings and structures 1 and 2 levels of responsibility in accordance with the state standard. In the field of special construction Spetsstroy Russia serves as the general contractor, the customer-builder, implementing technology and construction engineering, the development of tender documents for contractors bidding.
Russia employs physical, procedural, and technical measures to secure its weapons against an external threat, but many of these measures date from the Soviet era and are not designed to counter the pre-eminent threat faced today- an insider who attempts unauthorized actions. Moscow has maintained adequate security and control of its nuclear weapons, but a decline in military funding has stressed the nuclear security system. As of 2000, Russian facilities housing weapons-usable nuclear material - uranium enriched to 20 percent or greater in uranium-235 or uranium-233 isotopes and any plutonium containing less than 80 percent of the isotope plutonium-238 - typically received low funding, lacked trained security personnel, and did not have sufficient equipment for securely storing such material.
Russian officials recognize the need to improve the security of weapons-usable nuclear materials that we assess are stored in over 300 buildings at over 40 facilities across the country. Through the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and the US Department of Energy's Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program, the United States continues to assist Russia in improving security at nuclear facilities. Russia's nuclear security has been slowly improving, but risks remain. Despite the lack of funds, however, the chief of the MOD's Special Construction Troops reported in December 2000 that security enhancements were being completed at dozens of nuclear facilities.
The Federal Special Construction Agency is also a general contractor in the presidential program for the disposal of chemical weapons and is building the main facilities. It has built simultaneously five chemical weapons disposal plants, to be be commissioned in 2005-2006. The first world chemical weapons disposal plant was built in the Saratov region. More than 400 tons of mustard have been disposed at the plant in 2003 that allowed Russia to fulfill its commitments for the world community within the set terms. On 02 September 2008, in the village Leonidovka Penza area, began full-scale destruction of highly dangerous poisons in the first starting complex object CWD. The complex, built by Spetsstroya Russia (Russian «GUSST number 5, with Spetsstroe Russia ») within the framework of the Presidential Program«.
In July 2003 the Russian government endorsed a 4-year plan designed to turn the country's army into a modern force. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said "The Special Construction Troops and the troops of the Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information [FAPSI, abolished in March 2003, with its functions now being shared between the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Defence] have been completely taken out of the program and these are the units which in most cases do not take an active part in combat operations or never take part in them".
March 9, 2004 President Vladimir Putin signed the decree "On the System and Structure of Federal Executive Bodies". During 2004 Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov succeeded in the consolidation of numerous functions under the direction of the Defense Ministry, including the Railroad Troops, the Special Construction Troops, Military-Technical Cooperation Service, Defense Order Service, Technical and Export Controls Service, as well as portions of the Federal Agency for Atomic Energy. The Federal Special Construction Agency, which spends 50 to 100 billion rubles a year, was to be headed by General of the Army Nikolai Abroskin, former head of the Special Construction Department.
On 23 March 2004 Russia's president Vladimir Putin stated that the system of accumulative-mortgage provision of servicemen with housing concerns all those who have a status of serviceman. He noted that this program will concern the Defence Ministry, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Guard Service, the Interior Ministry troops, and the Special Construction Troops. "Now we cannot introduce this system for broader strata of citizens, proceeding from the state's possibilities," the president noted. He stressed that a serviceman will receive a flat, acquired according to the new scheme, as his property. And if he decides to become discharged from the service he will have to pay the rest of the debt on his own.
In April 2004 Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Russia will make changes in plans of military construction. The ministry will have three services. "Two of them are renamed former committees. There will be another agency of special construction which will conduct work on building reliable and rock-firm projects in the interests of not only the Defence Ministry, but also of all force-wielding structures and the entire state," the minister noted.
Implementation of the 2005 state defense order was a problem. For instance, the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, subordinated to the Federal Space Agency, produced eight single-warhead SS-27 Topol-M strategic missiles, which were supposed to be placed on combat duty in the Taman Missile Division in the village of Tatishchevo near Saratov. But the Russian Special Construction Agency, which was charged with re-equipping silos used by the decommissioned MIRVed UR-100 UTTKh (SS-19 Stiletto in NATO classification), failed to adapt the launching sites for the new weapons. As a result, there were no missiles in silos at all.
As of 2006 Army Gen Nikolay Abroskin was director of the Federal Special Construction Agency.
By 2006 the Defence Ministry's Special Construction Agency had set up a federal state unitary enterprise, Spetsstroi Rossii, which had begun reconstruction work in Chechnya. There were several aspects involved in the work being carried out in the center of Grozny. First, there were the engineering studies, the work to clear the sites of debris, demolish destroyed buildings and facilities and recycle the material collected into crushed stone for subsequent use in construction, and most importantly, there is the laying of new roads and communications, the installation of gas, water and electricity systems without which further housing construction cannot be envisaged.
As of July 2006 Spetsstroi was developing 12 sites in the center of Grozny. There are 154 employees working there, most of them residents of Grozny. As agreed at the meeting that took this decision in December 2005, Spetstroi trained local people, trained its construction engineers and specialists from among Grozny residents, because the Chechens had always been good at construction and these skills were being developed again. To date, 50,000 cubic meters of soil and construction debris had been cleared from the sites in the city centre - just a couple of steps away from Minutka Square. The remains of weapons had been found in the ruins, and an air bomb was also found. Because of a chemical spill, 14 centimeters of soil was being cleared completely and taken to special landfills so that Chechens can build on clean ground and in accordance with all the standards.
The Russian Special Construction Agency [Spetsstroy] on 01 April 2008 unilaterally stopped the construction of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel on the territory of the ore mining and chemical plant (Krasnoyarsk Territory). Before 2008 the construction of the dry storage facility had been financed by the Rosenergoatom concern and starting from 01 January 2008, funds were being disbursed under the federal targeted program on nuclear and radiation safety. Russia's first dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel is due to be completed by 2011. Its projected capacity is 28,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power stations.
By early 2008 employees of the Federal Special Construction Agency, together with Border Patrol guards, made their own contributions to the conceptual implementation of the new border safety system for Russia. The growing interests of the world's leading countries to the raw material potential of the Arctic and the communication possibilities of the Northern sea routes demand that Russia take effective measures for perfecting the border defense mechanisms along its Northern boundary. One of such measures is the officially adopted Federal Targeted Program entitled "State Border of the Russian Federation, 2003-2010". One of the more "exotic" projects undertaken by the Agency is the world's northernmost border patrol station, Nagurskoye, located less than a thousand kilometers from the North Pole.As part of the Program, the Federal Special Construction Agency is engaged in building several objects for the Russian Border Guard Service, including Nagurskoye, Russia's northernmost outpost, in Franz Josef Land.
On 12 October 2008 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev helicopter toured the main sites in the first state trial cosmodrome Defense Ministry of Russian Federation ( «Plesetsk»), in particular, universal launch complex «Angara» and other complexes being built by Spetsstroya Russia «USS number 35, with Spetsstroe Russia».
On 30 October 2008, in the city of Novorossiysk, director of the Federal Agency of Special Construction Army General Nikolai Pavlovich Abroskin handed War banner of the new engineering battalion number 2 FSUE «Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 4, with Spetsstroe Russia» (hereinafter - USST number 4 Spetsstroya Russia ). The military USST number 4 Spetsstroya Russia (Head - Maj. Gen. Mikhail Tashlyk), was the most outstanding in dealing with the effects of armed conflict on the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia, were awarded high state awards.
Spetsstroy Russia had become one of the first organizations entrusted with responsibility to restore Tskhinvali and networking systems. In the capital of the Republic of South Ossetia, Agency specialists worked at 37 sites, including the Republican Hospital, South Ossetia [Yugoosetinsky] State University with dormitories, hotels «Alan», a cinema hall «Chermen», Parliament House and the House Government of the Republic of South Ossetia, as well as a number administrative buildings and other law enforcement agencies. Total before the end of 2008 to carry out major repairs of more than 60 sites.
In addition to participating in the reconstruction of housing facilities and social infrastructure of South Ossetia, USST team number 4 Spetsstroya Russia in the Federal Program «Establishment of a system based Black Sea Fleet on the territory of the Russian Federation in the years 2005-2020», carries out the construction of facilities (including a unique deep-sea mole) Novorossiysk naval base of the Black Sea fleet in the interests of national security of Russia, which will provide the necessary conditions for the operation of naval forces, naval aviation and coastal parts of troops in peacetime and wartime. In addition, experts USST number 4 participate in the construction of residential complexes for military personnel,objects of education, health, industry and utilities in Novorossiysk and other cities in the Southern Federal District.
Structure of the Federal Agency of Special Construction
- The central administration (management, central supply and administrative management, staff, management and individual)
- 1. The Directorate of special construction on the territory of North-West Federal District (GUSST number 3) (St. Petersburg)
- 2. The Directorate of special construction on the territory of Volga Federal District (GUSST number 5) (Saratov)
- FGUP Upravlenie road building number 5 "(UDS number 5) (g.Ryazan)
- 3. The Directorate of special construction on the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District (GUSS "Dalspetsstroy") (Khabarovsk)
- 4. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 1 (USST number 1) (Moscow)
- 5. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 2 (USST number 2) (Moscow)
- FGUP Upravlenie road building number 3 "(UDS number 3) (g.Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District)
- 6. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 4 (USST number 4) (in the city of Novorossiysk)
- 7. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 6 (USST number 6) (Izhevsk, Udmurtia Republic)
- 8. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 8 (USST number 8) (Izhevsk, Udmurtia Republic)
- 9. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 9 (USST number 9) (in the city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai)
- 10. Office of Special Construction on the territory of number 10 (USST number 10) (Moscow)
- 11. Office building number 4 (US number 4) (Moscow)
- 12. Office of Special Construction number 5 (USS number 5) (Moscow)
- 13. Office of Special Construction number 7 (USS number 7) (Sochi)
- 14. Office of road building number 4 (UDS number 4) (g.Kaluga)
- 15. Office of Industrial Enterprises (UPP) (Moscow)
- 16. The central project association (TSPO) (Voronezh)
- 17. DPP "Spetsstroyservis" (city Odintsovo, Moscow region)
- 18. "Spetsstroykontrakt" (Moscow)
- 19. "Instroy" (Moscow)
- 20. Sanatorium "Mozhaisky (D. Krasnovidovo, Mozhaysky district, Moscow region)
- 21. FGMU "Medical Center" (Moscow)
- 22. FGOU "Military-Technical University (VTU) (Balashikha, Moscow region)
- 23. FGU "The Division of Capital Construction number 900 (OKS number 900) (Moscow)
- 24. FGU "Military operations and rehabilitation management of communication" (VEVUS) (Moscow)
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