March 30, 2021

Mines from Aluminum to Crypto


Mines from Aluminum to Crypto
Nadvoitsy has been called the Pripyat of the Arctic; this is what a post-Chernobyl Pripyat classroom looked like in 2011. Wikimedia Commons user Shanomag

What's more mysterious than a nearly abandoned Soviet-era ghost town in the Arctic? A nearly-abandoned Soviet-era ghost town in the Arctic that's seeing an uncanny resurgence through internet wizardry.

The town of Nadvoitsy developed around an aluminum factory planted in the Arctic by the Soviets. At its height, it had more than 10,000 residents. Now, apartments are on sale for R150,000-R400,000 ($1,973-$5,262), and no one buys them. For comparison, the cost of an entire apartment in Nadvoitsy would buy a person root canals and crowns on two teeth in St. Petersburg, as this author knows from recent personal experience.

Now that the aluminum factory is closed, who wants to stay in the Arctic? No one, really. The Komsomolskaya Pravda writer who investigated the story contends that, "According to all the laws of economics, [Nadvoitsy] had to die."

But investors recently spent $5 billion dollars to keep this monotown from turning into a ghost town. Why?

The old factory is now a data center. After all, "every pie shop now has an online store." That digital data has to be stored somewhere!

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin can also be mined there, meaning that a town that was once close to being forgotten is now becoming more and more valuable. With a hydroelectric plant nearby, electricity is cheap. Servers and mining release enormous amounts of heat, but in the Arctic, there is no need for expensive coolers.

Since a data center pretty much runs itself, thousands of factory jobs have been replaced with only hundreds of high-tech ones. Still, the new facility is pumping a lot of money into the local economy.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955