Oskemen

The city has two official names.^[4] In the Kazakh language, its name is Oskemen (Өскемен). In Russian, it is known as Ust-Kamenogorsk (Усть-Каменогорск), derived from the words "mouth" (usta), "stone" (kamen), and "mountain" (gorsk). The word Oskemen is the Kazakh-language version of the Russian name.^[5] Both names appear on the seal of the city.^[6]

The city was founded in 1720 at the confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba rivers as a fort and trading post named Ust-Kamennaya.^[7] It was established according to the order of the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, who sent a military expedition headed by major Ivan Mihailovich Likharev in the search of Yarkenda gold. Likharev's expedition directed up the Irtysh River to Zaysan Lake.

The Ust-Kammennaya Fortress was laid at the junction of the Ulba and the Irtysh rivers. The fortress appeared on the map of the Russian Empire on the very southern end of the Irtysh line.^[8] In 1868, the city became the capital of the Semipalatinsk Oblast. It was the site of Georgy Malenkov's 30-year internal exile, during which he managed a local hydroelectric plant.^[9]

One of the main industrial enterprises, the Ulba Metal Works (UMW) which produces uranium products, was kept secret despite its employment of thousands of workers. An explosion at the UMW's beryllium production line in 1990 led to the diffusion of a highly toxic beryllium-containing "cloud" over the city. The health effects of this incident are not fully known, partly because the incident was kept hidden by the Soviet authorities.^[10]

In 2017, the Ulba Metallurgical Plant was inaugurated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the home of the Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank, serving as a last resort supply mechanism for IAEA member states.^[11] The LEU bank is a physical stock of 90 metric tons of LEU hexaflouride, containing enough uranium to power a large city for three years.^[12] The facility was fully funded by IAEA member states and other contributors for a total of $150 million. These funds are expected to cover costs for 20 years.^[13] Safety, security, and safeguarding operations of the LEU bank fall under the responsibilities of Osmeken local authorities.^[14]

The post-war industrial history of the city is very closely intertwined with the Soviet nuclear bomb project, and the city was therefore kept closed to outsiders. During the Soviet era, the city developed into a major mining, metallurgical, and construction center. The processing of non-ferrous metals, such as uranium, beryllium, tantalum, copper, lead, silver and zinc, as well as the production of manufactured housing and ferroconcrete articles, remain important in the city.

The number of enterprises in Oskemen is relative higher than the number of inhabitants. According to data from 2002, there are about 169 firms.^[15] Most of them are industrial firms, specialising in the mining and processing of raw materials, mostly heavy metals.

Kazzinc is a major fully integrated zinc producer with considerable copper, precious metals and lead credits. The company was established in 1997 through the merger of Eastern Kazakhstan's three main non-ferrous metal companies: Ust-Kamenogorsk Lead and Zinc Combinate, Leninogorsk Polymetallic Combinate and Zyryanovsk Lead Combinate. The company continues seeks to have a stable position as one of the world's five lowest cost zinc producers. Apart from zinc, it produces lead, silver, copper, and many more precious metals on a large scale.^[16]

The Titanium-Magnesium plant specializes in production and selling nonferrous metals.^[17] Ulba Metallurgical Plant produces hi-tech uranium, beryllium and tantalum products for the needs of atomic engineering, electronics, metallurgy, and other spheres of operation. The company is considered a leader in the production of their specific goods.^[18]

Apart from the mining and processing companies, there are numerous thermoelectric power stations and about five hydropower plants concentrated around the Ust-Kamenogorsk region of Eastern Kazakhstan. The highest lock in the world is the Oskemen Lock^[19] and lies at Ablaketka where it allows river traffic to pass around a hydroelectric dam on the Irtysh river. It has a drop of more than 40m.^[20]

The city has three cinemas, three museums, and a drama theater with Russian and Kazakh troupes.

The city has an international airport, Oskemen Airport, a tram system with 4 lines, and an intercity bus service.

The intercity bus service is available at two bus stations. The most extensive network, with more than 35 lines, is at the railway station, which is located by the Sports Palace on Novoshkolnaya Street. From this station, buses not only serve cities within Kazakhstan, but also Russian cities such as Krasnoyarsk. The route network at the second station covers a smaller area with 17 lines.

Oskemen has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The coldest months are November through March. Record low temperatures range from −49 °C in January to 4 °C in July, and record highs range from 8 °C in January to 43 °C in July.

In a city with heavy industries, the atmosphere holds the by-products of heavy metals production: nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, zinc, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, carbon, beryllium, phenol, benzol, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, and many more. In general, there are about 170 polluting components found in the city.^[15] With poor urban ventilation at the average percentage of 48%,^[15] alongside a large number of vehicles and stationary sources, air pollution in Oskemen is prevalent. Combined with the concentration of harmful substances in the air which increases yearly, Oskemen is often recognized as one of the most polluted cities in Kazakhstan.

As a result of large production of uranium and the presence of other radioactive elements, such as thorium and radon, the city is marked with the zones of expanding radioactive anomalies.^[15] Soil within industrial territories holds solid wastes originating from industrial firms that are unfit for plantation. An increasing number of industrial waste requires a large area for the storage of waste.^[15]

The most polluted rivers of the Republic are those flowing through the territory of the East Kazakhstan region, where the highest index of surface water pollution is observed in mining areas where the enrichment of polymetallic ores take place.^[15] Water quality is affected by industrial waste and the storages of waste, with water contaminated with lead, selenium, cadmium, and nitrates which spread for many kilometers. As a consequence, drinking water intakes in the Western part of the city are closed or planned to be closed.

Oskemen is known for having a leading number of people suffering from respiratory problems and immune system diseases in Kazakhstan. In recent years, the number of people with cancer in this city has been also increasing.

Oskemen is twinned with:

• Babruysk, Belarus^[27]
• Yokneam Illit, Israel
• Barnaul, Russia^[28]
• Tacheng, China^[29]

• Max Birbraer (born 1980), Kazakhstan-born Israeli ice hockey right wing currently playing for the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League.
• Anton Khudobin, ice hockey goalie currently playing for the Texas Stars of the AHL.
• Nik Antropov, ice hockey centre who played in the NHL and the KHL.
• Georgy Malenkov, former Premier of the Soviet Union; exiled by Nikita Khrushchev to Oskemen to manage the hydroelectric plant after an abortive coup plot.
• Evgeni Nabokov, former ice hockey goalie. Played for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. Ranks 18th all time in the NHL for regular season wins and holds every major goaltending record for San Jose.
• Alexander Perezhogin, former ice hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens.
• Olga Rypakova, Olympic long jumper. She won a gold medal for Kazakhstan in the triple jump at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
• Katsiaryna Snytsina, Kazakhstani-born Belarusian basketball player, won a bronze medal at the 2007 European Championships
• David Tonoyan (born 1967), Kazakhstan-born Armenian politician and the former Defence Minister of Armenia.
• Alexander Akmaldinov, hockey player
• Eugen Schmidt (born 1975), German politician

• Project Sapphire