Ukraine

The Soledar Salt Mines: A Geological and Cultural Wonder

The Soledar Salt Mines, located near the town of Soledar in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, are one of the world’s largest and most famous underground salt deposits. These mines are not only a marvel of geology, containing vast reserves of high-quality salt, but they have also played a key role in Ukraine’s industrial history and have become a unique cultural and…

Object 221

Object 221: The Secret Soviet Underground Bunker

Object 221, also known as “The Albatross,” is a large underground military complex located in the mountainous region near Balaklava, Crimea. Built during the Cold War, it is one of many subterranean facilities designed to protect Soviet leadership and military command from nuclear attacks. Object 221 was intended to be an indestructible command post and a key part of the…

Balaklava Submarine Base

Balaklava Submarine Base: The Soviet Union’s Secret Naval Fortress

Hidden beneath the rocky cliffs of the Crimean Peninsula lies one of the Cold War’s most enigmatic relics: the Balaklava Submarine Base. Once a top-secret military installation, the Balaklava Submarine Base (also known as Object 825 GTS) was a highly fortified, underground complex designed to harbor Soviet submarines and protect them from potential nuclear attacks. Situated near the town of…

DUGA Radar

Duga Radar: The Soviet Union’s Secret Cold War Giant

Duga was an over-the-horizon radar (OTH) system used in the Soviet Union as part of its early-warning radar network for missile defence. It operated from July 1976 to December 1989. Two operational Duga radars were deployed, with one near Chernobyl and Liubech in the Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine), and the other in eastern Siberia (present-day Russia). The duga system was…

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometers (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometers (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometers (62 mi) north of Kyiv. The plant was cooled by an engineered pond,…