Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast Znamensk () is a closed town in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded in 1948 as Kapustin Yar-1 to serve a missile test range known as Kapustin Yar. Town status was granted in 1962. The closed town was renamed Znamensk in 1992. The military testing range is officially known as 4GCMP (4th State Central Interspecific Test-site). Kapustin Yar is also the name of a nearby village. Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Znamensk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal
Astrakhan Tatars Astrakhan Tatars Astrakhan Tatars () are a subgroup of the Tatar people. In the 15th to 17th centuries the Astrakhan Tatars inhabited the Astrakhan Khanate (1459 - 1556), which was also inhabited by the Nogai Horde, and the Astrakhan Tatars experienced a profound effect on Nogais. Since the 17th century there has been an increased interaction and ethnic mixing of the Astrakhan Tatars with Volga Tatars. The Astrakhan Tatars (around 80,000) are a group of Tatars, descendants of the Astrakhan Khanate's population, who live mostly in Astrakhan Oblast. For the Russian Census in 2010, most Astrakhan Tatars declared themselves simply