Tselinoyarsk (Russian: Целиноярск), also known as the Virgin Cliffs, was a region in the south of the former Soviet Union. The area was diverse in nature, its topography including swamps, forests, canyons, mountains, and was home to an incredible array of wildlife.

Tselinoyarsk was the site of the OKB-754 and OKB-812 Design Bureaus headed by Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov and Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, respectively, as well as the military fortress of Groznyj Grad, led by GRU colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin. Nuclear testing was also conducted in the area.

In August 1964, Naked Snake infiltrated Tselinoyarsk twice as part of the CIA's Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater.

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Etymology

The name Tselinoyarsk derives from the Russian words Tselina meaning "virgin soil" or "uncultivated land," and Yar meaning "precipice."[1] The English name is translated as the "Virgin Cliffs."

Virtuous Mission

Main article

"Your mission is to infiltrate Tselinoyarsk in the Soviet mountains, ensure the safety of Sokolov, and bring him back to the West." ―Major Zero to Naked Snake

Snake's first mission in Tselinoyarsk, the Virtuous Mission, required him to infiltrate the area, rescue a defecting Dr. Sokolov, and bring him back to the United States. However, the mission ended in failure when legendary U.S. soldier The Boss defected to the Soviet Union and prevented Snake from completing his objectives. The OKB-754 Design Bureau was also destroyed by Volgin using a miniature nuclear shell. This resulted in an international controversy, which also resulted in the preparation of Operation Snake Eater. As a direct result of this incident, security also became tighter around FOX's original route, forcing them to take a route from the North Pole.

Operation Snake Eater

Main article

"Rescue Sokolov. Find out what's happened to the Shagohod - then destroy it. And finally, eliminate The Boss." ―Major Zero to Naked Snake

A week after the Virtuous Mission, Snake was sent back into Tselinoyarsk to carry out Operation Snake Eater. His mission this time around was to eliminate both Colonel Volgin and The Boss, and ensure the destruction of the Shagohod, a nuclear weapon that Sokolov had been forced to develop. Shortly after the events of the mission, Groznyj Grad and Graniny Gorki were obliterated by The Boss using the last Davy Crockett, and the Philosophers' Legacy was also stolen.

Areas

Area Notes Dremuchij A bushy forest located on the edge of a gigantic cliff. A swamp inhabited by gavials lay to the north. Dolinovodno An area with a rope bridge over a very large ravine, connecting Dremuchij to Rassvet. Rassvet The location of a run-down, abandoned factory. Chyornyj Prud A large swamp inhabited by many fish, gavials and frogs. Bolshaya Past A forest that housed a materials shipping facility, and a deep crevice, which leads to Chyornaya Peschera. Chyornaya Peschera A dark subterranean cave system. Ponizovje A large swamp consisting of a river that split off to a warehouse and to Graniny Gorki. Graniny Gorki Granin's research facility, with a forested area to the south laid with booby traps. Svyatogornyj A large forest with a resource shed to the east, leading north to Sokrovenno. Sokrovenno A heavily forested area, comprising a waterfall, a clearing, and a plateau. A mine shaft to the north led up to the Krasnogorje mountains. Krasnogorje A mountainous area, comprising large stretches of rocky terrain, and a heavily guarded mountaintop, defended by anti-aircraft guns and Hind A gunships, during GRU occupation. A secret underground tunnel led into Groznyj Grad. Groznyj Grad A large military fortress, equipped with weapons research facilities and a large runway. Tikhogornyj A small forest with a waterfall to the north that hid a cave leading up to Groznyj Grad. Lazorevo A long stretch of forest surrounding a small road. Zaozyorje A deep forest leading north to Rokovoj Bereg. Rokovoj Bereg A field filled with white flowers beside a large lake.

Military resources (as of 1964)

Personnel

KGB (pre-Operation Snake Eater)

Security devices

Booby traps Pit trap Snare Tripwires Swinging log Rattling cans Explosive Darts

Electric fence

Attack dogs

Cannons[2]

Vehicles

Weapons under R&D

Groznyj Grad contained a vault used to store weapons of Western origin for research purposes. The majority of the weapons were stolen from the United States or from test sites belonging to the West.

Wildlife

Main article

Flora and fungi

Amur Kudzu

Baikal Scaly Tooth

Chinese Plantain

Fly Agaric*

Golova*

Ezo Comfrey*

Russian False Mango*

Russian Glowcap

Russian Oyster Mushrooms

Siberian Ink Cap

Slav Horehound

Spatsa

Ural Luminescent

Vine Melon

Yabloko Moloko





* native to Tselinoyarsk

Fauna

Alexandrine Parakeet

Arowana

Bigeye Trevally

Cobalt Blue Tarantula

Coral Snake

Emperor Scorpion

European Rabbit

Giant Anaconda

Green Tree Python

Indian Gavial*+

Japanese Flying Squirrel

Kenyan Mangrove Crab

King Cobra

Leech

Les Enfant Terribles

Magpie

Markhor

Maroon Shark

Milk Snake

Otton Frog

Poison Dart Frog

Rat

Reticulated Python

Red Avadavat

Sunda Whistling-Thrush

Taiwanese Cobra

Thai Cobra*

Tree Frog+

Tsuchinoko

Vampire Bat

White-Rumped Vulture





* escaped from human captivity + affected by nuclear fallout

Unconfirmed history

The following information has been detailed in official Konami-licensed media, written by various external authors. Its status in the Metal Gear canon is unconfirmed.[?]

Tselinoyarsk would later become known as Zanzibar Land, the nation that was granted independence from the Soviet Union by Big Boss, who previously infiltrated the area decades ago. The reason why Russia and the CIS were unwilling to let Tselinoyarsk gain its independence was because it was the only strategic border and religious cushion remaining separating Russia and the former Soviet countries in Central Asia from Muslim countries.[3]

Behind the scenes

In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it was implied that Tselinoyarsk was located in present-day Tajikistan, which lies adjacent to Pakistan, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.[4] However, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database states that it was in the southeast of the Soviet Union.[5] Hideo Kojima also indicated that the trajectory of the Combat Talon, while traveling to Tselinoyarsk, was either from China in the East or from Asia in the South.[6] According to this, a very good candidate could be the present day Kyrgyzstan, a country on the southeast of the former USSR territory, on the frontier with China. In addition to that, eastern Kyrgyzstan has praires, forests, valleys, rivers and lakes, with areas of it having humid continental climate, which could explain the geography of Tselinoyarsk.

Its name is possibly based on "Tselinograd" which was a former name of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Although Tselinoyarsk does not reappear as a location in any other canonical games beyond some flashbacks in Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Portable Ops, it did receive several mentions in other games. In addition, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has an Event FOB uniform called Tselinoyarsk, which is colored light green and is considered suitable camouflage on metal and concrete surfaces. It was later released on the March 8-14, 2016 version of Mosquito's Legacy. One of the three stages used for the Arena and Link Battle modes in Metal Gear Acid 2 was based on Tselinoyarsk, being an encampment within that area.

Notes and references

^ Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2008). ^ Sometimes during an alert, the radio soldiers will request fire support. Cannons will then fire off-screen and target the player. The player can also use this to their advantage by getting the frequency by interrogating the soldiers. ^ Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (novelization),

When secession movements erupted in the Soviet republics of Central Asia, one territory remained crucial to the motherland as a religious cushion between the neighbring Muslim states, and the reformed Russian government wasn't about to let it go. As the Soviet military had invaded Afghanistan, the Russian armed forces were detached to the territory of Tselinoyarsk. Yet the child state, certainly no major military power, somehow prevailed in the conflict. According to rumor, one man had organized a mercenary army, supplied a torrent of arms, and provided training on the ground. The newly independent people named their country Zanzibar Land. (novelization), Itō Keikaku , (2008).When secession movements erupted in the Soviet republics of Central Asia, one territory remained crucial to the motherland as a religious cushion between the neighbring Muslim states, and the reformed Russian government wasn't about to let it go. As the Soviet military had invaded Afghanistan, the Russian armed forces were detached to the territory of Tselinoyarsk. Yet the child state, certainly no major military power, somehow prevailed in the conflict. According to rumor, one man had organized a mercenary army, supplied a torrent of arms, and provided training on the ground. The newly independent people named their country Zanzibar Land. ^ Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2004).

Pilot: "Flying over Pakistan, altitude 30,000 feet. Approaching Soviet airspace."

HALO Instructor : "Twenty minutes to dropoff..." ^ Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2010). , Kojima Productions (2010). [1] ^ http://www.tentenpro.com/muni_shinobu/mgs3/commentary1.html

Appearances