Yakutia North

tiksi – тикси

Tiksi is a small town on the Laptev Sea coast straight north of Yakutsk. It is an important Arctic sea port. Tiksi as many other northern towns was thriving in good old Soviet times. People from all over the Soviet Union used to come to the North to make big rubles. On weekends Tiksi residents used to fly to Moscow for shopping and dining and wining in Moscow restaurants. Currently Tiksi looks shabby, littered with debris and 70% abandoned. In winter Tiksi can be reached by winter roads. It is a long and somewhat extreme trip. Besides, there are flights from Yakutsk. In late June - early September a boat from Yakutsk makes 6-7 voyages by the Lena River. I visited Tiksi in June 2018 by air. A KGB permit (propusk) was required for foreigners wishing to visit Tiksi. In January 2021 the border zone regime was lifted for Tiksi. No propusk is required now.