Life beyond the concrete wall separating the Russian-run city of Baikonur and the neighboring Kazakh towns of Toretam and Akay is difficult. Locals complain about environmental problems and growing unemployment. An Azattyq correspondent visited Kazakh villages around Baikonur (formerly known as Leninsk), a Kazakh town administered by officials from Russia. (23 PHOTOS)
Outside Baikonur -- A Tough Life
1
Akay residents jumping over the concrete wall to get into Baikonur. In this illegal way people avoid the long lines and bureaucracy needed to get a special entry pass. The Russian administration fines people caught going over the wall.
2
A checkpoint at the entrance to Baikonur. The line of cars is sometimes several kilometers long.
3
Camels outside the wall surrounding Baikonur city as viewed from the village of Akay.
4
A bus stop in Akay village
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A new row of houses with no electricity or running water.
6
A Baikonur monument in the village of Akay.
7
A street in Akay
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The Akay secondary school
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A street named after a local World War II hero in Akay.
10
Entering Toretam, a Kazakh-run town next to Baikonur.
11
A monument to astronauts erected at the entrance of Baikonur city.
12
A billboard in Toretam showing the Kazakh and Russian presidents shaking hands reads: "Strategic Partnership."
13
A house in central Toretam
14
At the Toretam railway station
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The Russian ruble is also in use at Toretam's central market.
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A new mosque in Toretam
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Toretam's central street
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The central market in Toretam
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Railway and air-ticket offices in Toretam
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The Toretam-Aktobe railway
21
A Soviet-era block of flats in Toretam. The central heating system has not worked for a long time -- people get their water from outside the town and use stoves to heat their apartments.
22
The Toretam Town Council building
23
A billbord at the Toretam bus station says: "Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy: A New Political Vector For The New Kazakhstan."