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{{Refimprove|date=March 2009}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Yamantau
| photo = Mount Yamantau.jpg
| photo_caption =
| elevation_m = 1640
| elevation_ref =
| prominence =
| listing =
| location = [[Republic of Bashkortostan]], [[Russia]]
| range = [[Ural Mountains]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|54.255|58.102|region:RU_type:mountain}}
| topo =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
{{Infobox Military Structure
|name=Mount Yamantau
|partof=[[Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]]
|location=[[Mezhgorye, Republic of Bashkortostan]], [[Russia]]
|coordinates={{Coord|54.255|58.102|display=inline,title}}
|image=
|caption=
|type=Underground military facility
|code=
|built=Under construction (2003)
|builder=
|materials=
|height=
|used=Unknown
|demolished=
|condition=Unknown
|ownership=
|controlledby=Armed forces of the Russian Federation
|garrison=Mezhgorye
|commanders=
|occupants=Unknown
|battles=
|events=
}}

'''Mount Yamantau''' ({{lang-ba|Ямантау}}, {{lang-ru|гора Ямантау}}) is in the [[Ural Mountains]], [[Bashkortostan]], [[Russia]]. The name means 'wicked mountain' in the [[Bashkir language]] (Яман тау). It is also known as '''Mount Yamantaw'''. It stands at 1,640 metres (5,381 ft) and is the highest mountain in the [[southern Ural]]s. Along with [[Kosvinsky Mountain]] (600 km to the north), it is suspected by the [[United States]] of being a large secret nuclear facility or bunker, or both.<ref name= "Blair">{{cite news |first= Bruce G |last= Blair | authorlink= | coauthors= | title = We Keep Building Nukes For All the Wrong Reasons |url= http://www.globalzero.org/files/bb_we_keep_building_nukes_for_all_the_wrong_reasons_05.25.2003.pdf |work= The Washington Post | publisher= |date=May 25, 2003 |accessdate=28 February 2009 }}</ref> The closed military town of [[Mezhgorye, Republic of Bashkortostan|Mezhgorye]] ({{lang-ru|[[:ru:Межгорье (Башкортостан)|Межгорье]]}}) is situated nearby. As late as 2003, Yamantau was not yet fully operational.<ref name="Blair"/>

Large excavation projects have been observed by U.S. satellite imagery as recently as the late 1990s, during the time of [[Boris Yeltsin]]'s government, after the fall of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Blair"/> Two [[garrison]]s ([[Beloretsk-15]] and [[Beloretsk-16]]) were built on top of the facility, and possibly a third ([[Alkino-2]]) as well. They became the [[closed town]] of [[Mezhgorye, Republic of Bashkortostan|Mezhgorye]] in 1995, and are said to house 30,000 workers each. Large rail lines serve the facility.<ref name="Gordon"/>

Repeated U.S. questions have yielded several different responses from the Russian government regarding Mount Yamantau.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/yamantau.htm | title = Weapons of Mass Destruction | contribution = Yamantau, Beloretsk-15, Beloretsk-16, Alkino-2 | publisher = Global Security}}.</ref> They have said it is a mining site, a repository for Russian treasures, a food storage area, and a bunker for leaders in case of nuclear war.<ref name="Gordon">{{cite news |first=Michael R. |last=Gordon |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Despite Cold War's End, Russia Keeps Building a Secret Complex |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E4DF1E39F935A25757C0A960958260 |work=The New York Times |publisher= |date=April 16, 1996 | accessdate =28 February 2009 }}</ref> Responding to questions regarding Yamantau in 1996, Russia's [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Defense Ministry]] stated: "The practice does not exist in the Defense Ministry of Russia of informing foreign mass media about facilities, whatever they are, that are under construction in the interests of strengthening the security of Russia."<ref name="Gordon"/> In 1997, a [[United States Congress|United States Congressional]] finding, related to the country's [[National Defense Authorization Act]] for 1998, stated that the Russian Federation kept up a "deception and denial policy" about the mountain complex after U.S. officials had given [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]] tours to Russian diplomats, which the finding stated "... does not appear to be consistent with the lowering of strategic threats, openness, and cooperation that is the basis of the post-[[Cold War]] strategic partnership between the United States and Russia."<ref>[https://fas.org/spp/starwars/congress/1997/h970619_a.htm PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1119, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998 (House of Representatives - June 19, 1997]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Nuclear bunker buster]]
* [[Raven Rock Mountain Complex]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2173108/pagenum/all/#page_start The Return of the Doomsday Machine?]

[[Category:Mountains of Russia|Yamantaw]]
[[Category:Ural Mountains]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bashkortostan]]
[[Category:Military installations of Russia]]
[[Category:Nuclear bunkers]]
[[Category:Secret military programs]]
[[Category:Secret places]]
[[Category:Strategic Rocket Forces]]

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