Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerva)
Executive Summary
Open-source information indicates that the former Rosrezerv site commonly referred to as "Samara Khladokombinat No. 2" functioned as an underground grain and flour storage base integrated into a gypsum mine at approximately 125 meters depth. Constructed between 1959 and 1963 and reportedly active for State Reserve storage from 1966 until September 2001, the complex comprises a large subterranean warehouse footprint (approximately 126,000 m2 of the total 133,200 m2 warehouse area), associated handling infrastructure, and two on-site rail spurs. The overall territory is cited as 92,801 m2 with 28 facility elements. Open-source depictions from the 2010s present the site as abandoned. No official post-2001 status confirmation was located within the provided sources.
Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv) — Role and Mandate
Rosrezerv is the federal executive body responsible for the formation, storage, refreshment, and use of the Russian Federation’s State Material Reserve. Its legal basis includes Federal Law No. 79-FZ of 29 December 1994 On the State Material Reserve, which assigns functions to ensure resource availability for emergencies, humanitarian assistance, market stabilization, and mobilization needs. The system utilizes a distributed network of facilities (surface and underground) for foodstuffs, fuel, and other critical materials.
Site Identification and Nomenclature
The facility is variously referenced in open sources as the Federal Agency for State Reserves former strategic object "Samara Khladokombinat No. 2" and as an Abandoned Underground Granary of the State Reserve, with linkage to a neighboring enterprise "Etalon" associated with Rosrezerv. It is situated in Samara Oblast, Russian Federation (Volga Federal District), and is physically connected to a former gypsum mine complex.
Geographic and Logistic Context
Samara Oblast is a major industrial and transport region on the Volga River, served by extensive rail infrastructure (Kuybyshev Railway). The facility’s two dead-end rail lines (approximately 400 meters each) are consistent with integration to the regional rail network for inbound and outbound cargo flows. This location would have supported distribution of reserve commodities across the Volga region when the site was active.
Construction and Subsurface Layout
Open-source reports date initial construction to 1959–1963 for gypsum extraction at an approximate depth of 125 meters. The subterranean storage halls are cited as having an approximate height of 11 meters. The presence of a hoisting machine building indicates shaft-based vertical movement of cargo between surface and underground levels, enabling use of deep mine galleries for large-volume storage.
Infrastructure Inventory
Described on-site elements include: warehouses; an administrative building; a laboratory; a hoisting machine building; an air conditioning workshop; a production workshop; an electromechanical workshop; a mechanical workshop; a sawmill; an air intake kiosk with a ventilation duct; a service water pumping station; a pumping station; domestic and drinking water reservoirs; a fire reservoir; a diesel locomotive depot; garages; five artesian water wells; a first-aid post; a club; a canteen; two dead-end railway lines approximately 400 meters each; and platforms for loading and unloading products. Open sources state the grain terminal encompassed 28 facilities.
Storage Areas and Claimed Capacity
Quantitative figures cited in open sources are: total territory area 92,801 m2; total premises area 149,643.4 m2; total warehouse area 133,200 m2, of which 126,000 m2 is underground (depth approximately 125 meters, hall height approximately 11 meters). Surface warehouse area is listed as 7,200 m2, comprising two operational (maneuverable) warehouses of approximately 2,000 m2 each for container cargo with shafts for descent/ascent (including ramps and caissons for bulk loading/unloading) and an additional surface warehouse for approximately 3,200 tons of grain equipped with a pneumatic conveyor. The site is characterized in open sources as one of the largest granaries in Russia; no official Rosrezerv documentation corroborating that ranking was included among the provided materials.
Material Handling and Rail Operations
The facility reportedly features two dead-end rail spurs of approximately 400 meters each and a diesel locomotive depot, consistent with on-site shunting and rail-based receipt/dispatch. Stated handling infrastructure includes ramps, caissons for bulk loading/unloading, and a pneumatic conveyor associated with the 3.2-thousand-ton surface warehouse, as well as a hoisting machine building serving underground shafts. Russian mainline railways utilize 1520 mm gauge; while not explicitly stated for this site, that is the regional standard.
Utilities and Environmental Control
Open-source descriptions note environmental and utility systems including an air intake kiosk with a ventilation duct, an air conditioning workshop, service and domestic/drinking water pumping stations, dedicated water reservoirs for domestic/drinking use, a fire reservoir, and five artesian wells. Electromechanical and mechanical workshops are present for maintenance support. These systems align with the environmental control and safety requirements of large-scale grain and flour storage in subterranean settings.
Operational History and Status
According to open-source accounts, the base stored grain and flour under Rosrezerv from 1966 until September 2001, linked to the neighboring enterprise "Etalon". Subsequent open-source photographs and video from the 2010s depict derelict infrastructure, and the site is widely described as abandoned. The provided sources do not include an official state notice confirming decommissioning or current disposition after 2001.
Strategic Significance Assessment
Underground reserve storage of staple commodities historically contributed to national resilience by providing protected, temperature-stable stockpiles for emergencies and mobilization needs under the State Material Reserve system. The Samara region’s transport connectivity would have facilitated distribution when this site was operational. Based on the supplied open sources portraying disuse, the current strategic contribution of this specific facility cannot be determined from publicly available information provided.
Security and Access Information
Publicly available materials reviewed do not detail current security measures, access control, or guard arrangements for the site. If such information exists, it is not publicly released. No sensitive security procedures or restricted technical schematics were identified in the provided sources, and any classified aspects of Rosrezerv facilities are not disclosed here.
Information Reliability and Gaps
Most numerical data (areas, depths, facility counts) originate from non-official open-source postings and videos. Absent corroboration from official Rosrezerv publications, government registries, or authoritative technical documentation, these figures should be treated as unverified. Unresolved points include precise coordinates, current ownership and administrative control, present structural integrity and environmental conditions underground, residual equipment inventories, and any remediation, repurposing, or reactivation actions taken after 2001.
Open-Source References
Representative sources consulted include: https://chanych-85.livejournal.com/5499.html; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBA8Oh_6g-g; http://www.unexploredworld.ru/blog/2515. Legal framework reference: Federal Law No. 79-FZ of 29 December 1994 On the State Material Reserve.