Life at the bottom of the ratings: why do residents not leave the most dangerous city in Russia?
There are many depressing and frankly dangerous places in Russia, but the city of Shakhty, Rostov region, is considered the undisputed leader among them. If during the day its residents can still move more or less freely, then at night they risk being robbed, raped or at least beaten. Add here the worn-out housing stock and partially destroyed infrastructure and get a complete impression of the Mines. Nevertheless, the citizens are in no hurry to leave their native places, in search of a better life.
There are almost no roads in the Mines, and no one has ever heard of high-quality medical care here. Residents of the city are ashamed of their standard of living and do not like to talk about its realities, but, oddly enough, they hold on to their small Homeland. It is no less surprising that the price of real estate in the city does not decrease and is at the level of quite prosperous settlements. And so, logically, it should not be.
The title of the most dangerous city in Russia was awarded to the Mines not with the light hand of visiting journalists, but thanks to a survey conducted among residents, so a biased attitude is excluded. The research, which was conducted three years in a row — in 2016, 2017 and 2018, involved 200 cities in different regions of the country.
In 2016 and 2017, Shakhty became the undisputed leader in terms of danger, and in 2018 it slightly improved the result and moved to third place, losing to neighboring Novocherkassk and Novoshakhtinsk. But in terms of the standard of living of the population, the city is incredibly far from the top three. In the list of Russian cities, it occupies the 144th place out of 150 possible ones.
If we talk about such an indicator as good neighborliness, which evaluates the friendliness and politeness of residents to each other and guests of the city, then the Mines are on the 136th place out of 150. The city took the first place out of 200 possible as a locality with the worst housing and communal services and even entered the top ten cities with the worst public transport.
In Russia, the status of a large city gets a city with a population of 250 thousand people. The mines are only slightly short of this mark — only 15 thousand people are missing. Apparently, it will not be possible to reach the desired mark in the near future. Although unemployment is not a scourge of Shakhty residents, it does not matter with new jobs in the city — they are mostly arranged by acquaintance or using family ties.
Having received an education, young residents of the city run away from their native places without looking back, mainly to Moscow. The influx that balances migration is provided by residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, who are fleeing to the Rostov region from the combat zone.
A former resident of the Mines, now living in St. Petersburg, describes city life in this way:
The housing stock of the city is mainly Soviet-built buildings. There are only three Shakhty objects in the Unified Register of developers in the first hundred new buildings of the Rostov region. On the 19th place is the residential complex "Alexander Park", built in a park zone, against the construction of which citizens signed petitions and two modest medium-storey houses No. 65 and No. 67 on Shakhtinsky Avenue, located on more than modest 83 and 84 places in the rating.
The housing market of Mines is mostly represented by secondary objects. In the Avito Real Estate database, out of 1,4 thousand offers, there are only 30 apartments in new buildings. An important advantage when selling real estate is autonomous heating. Despite the depression, the city has one of the highest tariffs in Russia. At the same time, according to experts, communications in the Mines are worn out by more than 80 percent.
Hot water is supplied to the apartments for no more than an hour a day, while the pressure does not squeeze above the second floor. Therefore, residents of high-rise buildings put pressure-boosting pumps at home. A separate topic for conversation is the quality of water, which cannot even be formally called drinkable.
With transport, everything is also very deplorable. There are no trams and trolleybuses in the city, and buses are very rare. The main mode of transport in the Mines is minibuses. The fleet of these vehicles is represented by minibuses, the average age of which is 20 years. During rush hour, transport has to be taken by storm, as there is a catastrophic shortage of it.
Driving around the city, in general, is still a pleasure, since the asphalt on the main highways is worn out by 90 percent, and there is almost no secondary roads. The residents of the Mines are ashamed to receive guests, since moving around the city causes them serious bewilderment at best.
If you look at the reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia on Mines, you can find out that there is nothing special about a criminal stop in the city. But the townspeople will be happy to tell you a lot of creepy stories that periodically occur in different areas. With the onset of dusk, it is better not to go outside, since the chance of getting into trouble in this case is very close to 100 percent.
There is lighting only on the central streets and in the evening and at night it is recommended to move by private transport or a large company. In fairness, I must say that if you are a local, then you can walk relatively safely in your area, but visitors without an escort should not wander the streets even in broad daylight.
But is everything so bad in the Mines? Obviously, no, since the residents do not leave it despite all the disadvantages. What positive aspects can be noted when talking about this city? The undoubted advantages include a mild southern climate and inexpensive food.
Someone is kept in his hometown by family ties, someone is familiar with the way of life, and someone, perhaps, criminal tendencies. In general, the city does not live and does not die, remaining one of the main attractions with a minus sign on the extensive map of similar places in the Russian Federation.
Keywords: Depression | Roads | Crime | Transport | Mines