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The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
Inside abandoned Soviet-era nuclear missile base where three people died hidden deep underground in forests of Lithuania
DEEP in the forests of western Lithuania, a chilling relic of the Cold War still lies hidden — a secret underground nuclear missile base where three people lost their lives. The Plokštinė Missile Base, buried in Žemaitija National Park about 30 miles from the Baltic Sea, once housed Soviet R-12 Dvina missiles pointed at Western Europe. 8 Soviet-era nuclear missile base in Lithuania where three people died is now a Cold War Museum Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Hidden deep underground in forests, it housed missiles pointed at Western Europe Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Three people lost their lives at the nuclear missile base Credit: Wikimedia Commons Today, it's the park's top tourist draw, transformed into the But behind the eerie exhibits of Lenin statues, Museum guide Aušra Brazdeikytė, who grew up nearby, told "Two other soldiers died during a nitric acid spill while trying to refuel the missile." Completed in 1962 after two years of construction involving more than 10,000 workers, the base was one of the USSR's most secretive sites. Surrounded by barbed wire and a two‑mile electric fence, it remained hidden until US satellites finally spotted it in 1978 — by which time it had already been decommissioned under disarmament agreements. The entrance, still marked by a Russian sign reading 'Please, wipe your feet,' leads down to a labyrinth of rooms and four silos plunging 100 feet underground. Visitors can now peer into the abyss of one of the shafts, which never launched a missile but claimed lives during service. Most read in The US Sun The site once housed around 300 soldiers in a ghost town nearby — bizarrely converted into a children's summer camp called Žuvėdra ('seagull') after the base shut down. Its bus stop still bears a mural of a gnome on a mushroom holding a flower. Inside abandoned Antarctic clifftop 'ghost station' where Soviet boffins battled -90C gales 1000s of miles from anywhere After Lithuania broke free from Soviet rule in 1990, the base was abandoned and stripped for scrap. It reopened as a museum in 2012 with EU funding, giving the public rare access to a facility once designed for nuclear war. Today, the stark remains of the Plokštinė base — its mud‑covered hangars resembling ancient pyramids — stand in sharp contrast to the idyllic lakes and forests around it. The region, once a militarized zone bristling with rockets, is now a gem of slow travel in Lithuania. The museum's exhibits walk visitors through propaganda, weapons technology and daily life under Soviet control. Lifelike mannequins dressed as grim soldiers add to the unsettling atmosphere, making the underground tour feel like stepping back into the Iron Curtain era. For locals like Brazdeikytė, memories of the base run deep. She recalls soldiers becoming part of everyday life, often working on nearby collective farms but never daring to talk about what lay beneath the forest floor. 8 Base, once surrounded by barbed wire, opened as museum in 2012 with EU funding Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Visitors can now peer into the abyss of one of the shafts, which never launched a missile but claimed lives during service Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 The base housed Soviet R-12 Dvina missiles and was hidden until US spies spotted it in 1978 Credit: Wikimedia Commons 'We worked alongside soldiers from different Soviet republics at collective farms, but never discussed military topics,' she told CNN. The base's location in Plokštinė forest was chosen carefully by Soviet planners: the sandy soil was easy to excavate, nearby Plateliai Lake provided water for cooling systems, and the sparse local population meant fewer eyes watching. Visitors today can combine the chilling underground tour with the natural beauty above ground. Žemaitija National Park offers cycling and hiking trails, and Lake Plateliai is a favorite spot for campers and nature lovers. Read more on the Irish Sun The nearby town of Plateliai is home to an 18th‑century wooden church and even a Mardi Gras museum with its famous carved masks. But deep beneath the birch trees and Baltic pines, the echoes of the Cold War — and the lives lost in its shadow — linger in the silence. 8 The facility was abandoned after Lithuania freed from Soviet rule Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Now a Cold War Museum, it attracts 35,000 visitors a year Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Inside abandoned Soviet-era nuclear missile base where three people died hidden deep underground in forests of Lithuania
The base housed Soviet R-12 Dvina missiles and remained a secret until US spies spotted it in 1978 SECRET BASE Inside abandoned Soviet-era nuclear missile base where three people died hidden deep underground in forests of Lithuania Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEEP in the forests of western Lithuania, a chilling relic of the Cold War still lies hidden — a secret underground nuclear missile base where three people lost their lives. The Plokštinė Missile Base, buried in Žemaitija National Park about 30 miles from the Baltic Sea, once housed Soviet R-12 Dvina missiles pointed at Western Europe. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Soviet-era nuclear missile base in Lithuania where three people died is now a Cold War Museum Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Hidden deep underground in forests, it housed missiles pointed at Western Europe Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Three people lost their lives at the nuclear missile base Credit: Wikimedia Commons Today, it's the park's top tourist draw, transformed into the Cold War Museum and attracting 35,000 visitors in 2024 alone. But behind the eerie exhibits of Lenin statues, Soviet flags and dimly lit tunnels lies a deadly history. Museum guide Aušra Brazdeikytė, who grew up nearby, told CNN: "A soldier fell to his death when his [safety] belt broke during a routine service check. "Two other soldiers died during a nitric acid spill while trying to refuel the missile." Completed in 1962 after two years of construction involving more than 10,000 workers, the base was one of the USSR's most secretive sites. Surrounded by barbed wire and a two‑mile electric fence, it remained hidden until US satellites finally spotted it in 1978 — by which time it had already been decommissioned under disarmament agreements. The entrance, still marked by a Russian sign reading 'Please, wipe your feet,' leads down to a labyrinth of rooms and four silos plunging 100 feet underground. Visitors can now peer into the abyss of one of the shafts, which never launched a missile but claimed lives during service. The site once housed around 300 soldiers in a ghost town nearby — bizarrely converted into a children's summer camp called Žuvėdra ('seagull') after the base shut down. Its bus stop still bears a mural of a gnome on a mushroom holding a flower. Inside abandoned Antarctic clifftop 'ghost station' where Soviet boffins battled -90C gales 1000s of miles from anywhere After Lithuania broke free from Soviet rule in 1990, the base was abandoned and stripped for scrap. It reopened as a museum in 2012 with EU funding, giving the public rare access to a facility once designed for nuclear war. Today, the stark remains of the Plokštinė base — its mud‑covered hangars resembling ancient pyramids — stand in sharp contrast to the idyllic lakes and forests around it. The region, once a militarized zone bristling with rockets, is now a gem of slow travel in Lithuania. The museum's exhibits walk visitors through propaganda, weapons technology and daily life under Soviet control. Lifelike mannequins dressed as grim soldiers add to the unsettling atmosphere, making the underground tour feel like stepping back into the Iron Curtain era. For locals like Brazdeikytė, memories of the base run deep. She recalls soldiers becoming part of everyday life, often working on nearby collective farms but never daring to talk about what lay beneath the forest floor. 8 Base, once surrounded by barbed wire, opened as museum in 2012 with EU funding Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 Visitors can now peer into the abyss of one of the shafts, which never launched a missile but claimed lives during service Credit: Wikimedia Commons 8 The base housed Soviet R-12 Dvina missiles and was hidden until US spies spotted it in 1978 Credit: Wikimedia Commons 'We worked alongside soldiers from different Soviet republics at collective farms, but never discussed military topics,' she told CNN. The base's location in Plokštinė forest was chosen carefully by Soviet planners: the sandy soil was easy to excavate, nearby Plateliai Lake provided water for cooling systems, and the sparse local population meant fewer eyes watching. Visitors today can combine the chilling underground tour with the natural beauty above ground. Žemaitija National Park offers cycling and hiking trails, and Lake Plateliai is a favorite spot for campers and nature lovers. The nearby town of Plateliai is home to an 18th‑century wooden church and even a Mardi Gras museum with its famous carved masks. But deep beneath the birch trees and Baltic pines, the echoes of the Cold War — and the lives lost in its shadow — linger in the silence. 8 The facility was abandoned after Lithuania freed from Soviet rule Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Can classroom seating break the frontbench-backbench divide?
A photograph by Yuri Zhitlukhin I came across while searching for images of Soviet classrooms of the post-Bolshevik Revolution period shows a teacher playing the flute to her students in a kindergarten class. The children in it are sitting in a single U-shaped type of seating arrangement, however, was not typical in schools in the Soviet Union. Other classroom photos show that the communist Soviets didn't abolish the backbench even in kindergartens and nurseries, which Lenin viewed as 'the sprouts of communism.' A revolution seems to be occurring in Indian classrooms, inspired by a 2024 Malayalam movie, Sthanarthi Sreekuttan (Candidate Sreekuttan), recently released on a streaming platform. The film, set in a school in UP, questions the divide between front and backbenchers. The plot centres around Sreekuttan, a backbencher, running against a frontbencher in school elections. He suggests a semicircular seating arrangement to bridge the gap between students. His idea is eventually adopted by the school. Schools in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and West Bengal have adopted a U-shaped seating arrangement, which is regarded as a progressive change. While backbenchers may be looked down upon in classrooms, in other settings, the situation may be different. Take parliament. Historically, backbenchers there have been crucial in formulating policy. Even in society at large, backbenchers are often perceived as more self-reliant, self-driven, capable of handling failure and setbacks, and able to collaborate though these traits might not be universally true, being on the backbench is a significant aspect of being a student. Frontbenchers miss a 180-degree view of the class. Recently, Harsh Goenka shared his backbencher life in the classroom on social media, which he described as ideal for 'sneaking in a nap, doodling, or secretly enjoying a samosa.' For many students, eliminating the backbench would undoubtedly snatch away some essential charms of school life. It would also deprive many proud frontbenchers of their 'badge of honour', as the idea of front benches in schools would simultaneously be are we so eager to eliminate back and front benches in classrooms? Have we truly built a classless society? If not, why rush to give children the illusion that such a utopia exists? Better to let them confront reality from their first day in were first introduced in classrooms around 5th c. BCE in ancient Greece. It became more common in the 19th century, mainly as means to efficiently and affordably accommodate more students. Additionally, they gave teachers room to go around and engage with every student. It's difficult to predict how teaching will evolve in this AI era. Advocates of U-shaped classroom seating think it fosters a more inclusive learning environment and enhances student-teacher interaction. With each student taking centre stage, it may promote equitable engagement and level the playing field. However, those with a soft spot for backbenchers feel that it may compromise quiet observation and creative flexibility often found in the back understandably, a larger class cannot be accommodated by such a U-shaped setup. There's apprehension that it could cause eye strain and other problems for pupils who must swivel their heads to look at the blackboard. In society, there's a wide disparity in basic infrastructure - food, healthcare, transportation, and educational environments - among pupils. In an ideal society, we would strive to reduce that gap. But that's a daunting task, indeed. Nevertheless, there's a simpler solution: reorient classroom how about a 'recurring' seating arrangement that's kept fluid? My daughter treasured such a creative setup in her school days in Kolkata, where certain teachers would switch students their seating rows every day. The third row moved up to the second position the next day, then to the first, then to the last, and so on. This - or a variation of it - could be a better way to experience life, society, and its inevitable class structure. While also having an equal amount of fun at school. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Paid less than plumbers? The real story of freshers' salaries at Infy, TCS. Can medicines inject the vitamins Amazon is missing? Can victims of Jane Street scam be compensated by investor protection funds? We prefer to have idle pilots than grounded planes: Akasa CFO on losses, funding hiccups, Boeing What if Tata Motors buys Iveco's truck unit? Will it propel or drag like JLR? How private ARCs are losing out to a govt-backed firm dealing in bad loans Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of 13 to 45% in 1 year Short-term valuation headwinds? Yes. Long-term growth potential intact? Yes. Which 'Yes' is more relevant? F&O Radar| Deploy Bull Call Spread in Nifty to gain from a 'buy-on-dips' stance
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Russian Nuclear Sabotage In Space Could Decimate Western Satellites
Russia, creator of the world's most powerful nuclear weapon, the Tsar Bomb, is likely set to launch ... More a nuclear-powered spacecraft aimed at sabotaging Western satellites across low Earth orbit. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP) (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images) Even as Russia races to perfect a nuclear-armed spacecraft, its space weapons designers are likely also preparing to launch a stealth alternative to similarly threaten constellations of Western satellites speeding around the planet. As the Kremlin ramps up its secret, subversive attacks on the Western powers aiding besieged Ukraine, its century-long expertise in sabotage—starting with Soviet insurrectionists Lenin and Stalin—could next be directed to upend the realm of low Earth orbit, says Elena Grossfeld, an expert on Russia's space and nuclear arms programs at King's College London. While Moscow presses forward with its top-secret project, discovered by American intelligence agencies, to deploy nuclear-tipped anti-satellite missiles in orbit, the detonation of a fission bomb hundreds of kilometers above the Earth would undoubtedly trigger a rapid response by NATO, Grossfeld tells me in an interview. An Accidental Nuclear Explosion In Space Provides 'Plausible Deniability' Less obviously confrontational would be the 'accidental' explosion of a nuclear-powered spacecraft, which could likewise take out a sizable swath of Allied satellites while shielding Moscow in a cloud of 'plausible deniability,' she says. The Russian space agency Roscosmos has already launched a satellite—likely a defense prototype on a precursor mission—sent into orbit near the edge of the high-radiation rings of the Van Allen belt, she says. Sabotaging this orbital zone by remotely triggering the explosion of a nuclear-propelled craft would pump up the belt's radiation levels and in turn destroy or damage a cascade of nearby satellites. The 'Beauty' of Sabotage - in the Eyes of the Kremlin The 'beauty' of this type of sabotage operation, she says, is that it could never be absolutely proven to have been an intentional Russian attack on American and European spacecraft, which could forestall a collective NATO response. Sabotage is a central component of the Kremlin's statecraft, and random acts of subversion—believed to be orchestrated by Moscow—have proliferated across Europe since Russian tanks and missiles began pummeling Ukraine three years ago. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a summit of the alliance's foreign ministers that Russia has 'tried to destabilize our countries and divide our societies with acts of sabotage.' NATO Leaders Seek Collective Response to Russian Acts of Sabotage Ministers representing the 32 NATO nations, Rutte said, have 'agreed a set of measures to counter Russia's hostile and cyber activities, including enhanced intelligence exchange, more exercises, better protection of critical infrastructure.' Moscow's spiraling campaign of sabotage, he added, reflected 'the escalating dangers of the ongoing war in Ukraine.' The Kremlin's steady stream of threats to use its nuclear weapons arsenal—the world's largest—against any NATO nation directly intervening to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion forces signals that it already views the West as an enemy, Grossfeld says. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to target Western Allies of Ukraine with ... More nuclear missiles, and could next launch a nuclear sabotage mission to decimate U.S. and European satellites. AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GettyImages) And the current overwhelming, supreme U.S. power in orbit, with advanced imaging, intelligence and nuclear command and control satellites, makes its ever-expanding constellations attractive targets. Leveling the Battlefield Before Space War I To level the battlefield before an anticipated Space War I, she predicts, Russia might opt to stage a devastating pre-emptive sabotage strike, via the self-destruction of its nuclear-powered craft. The intensified charged particles whizzing through orbit— triggered by the Kremlin's space kamikaze mission—might take out thousands of American satellites, she predicts, while potentially sparking indecision across the West on whether to treat this maneuver as the orbital version of a Pearl Harbor attack. SpaceX Could Be a Prime Target of Russian Space Sabotage Mission SpaceX's mega-constellation of Starlink satellites, which have provided Ukraine's embattled president, national security council and citizenry with crucial internet connections, would be a prime target in Russia's orbital sabotage. Since Moscow's missiles began blitzing democratic Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's emissaries to the UN have repeatedly threatened to start shooting down SpaceX satellites, and Russia has already deployed advanced jet fighters, missile brigades and swarms of suicide drones to attack Starlink terminals across Ukraine. Putin's envoys to the UN have repeatedly threatened to begin shooting down SpaceX satellites aiding ... More Ukraine, and a new orbital sabotage mission could decimate SpaceX's constellation - the world's largest. (Photo by) While warning it could commence firing anti-satellite missiles against any Western spacecraft aiding Ukraine, Grossfeld tells me, 'Russia has been investing in multiple launch methods' for its fleets of ASATs. Yet a booby-trapped nuclear-fueled spacecraft, she adds, would be a far more powerful weapon. Moscow's stepped-up embrace of sabotage is part of Putin's overarching goal of restoring Russia to its position as a Soviet superpower, when it ruled over a far greater realm. Just as Russia has declined in its military might since the break-up of the Soviet Union a generation ago, Grossfeld says, its status as one of the globe's foremost space powers has likewise slipped away. Russia has seen its status as a space superpower fade into history, and could launch an orbital ... More sabotage operation to strike at the current supreme leader in space - the U.S. (Photo by) A grand strategy of nuclear sabotage in space would be aimed at decimating American dominance in orbit, even if it meant that Russia destroyed part of its own diminutive constellations in the process, she says. Russia Arming for Space War I with the Western Allies Russia has already amply signaled it is arming for Space War I with the Western Allies, Grossfeld points out. Even before Kremlin troops began storming Ukraine's borders, before their missiles were launched to engulf Ukraine's cities and cathedrals in flames, their commanders led a secret mission they hoped would ensure a speedy victory in a lightning war. Russia's First Attack on an American Satellite System Moscow's military intelligence leadership carried out a surprise ambush in the first battle of this space war by targeting the ground terminals of the U.S. satellite constellation that Ukraine's defense ministry relied on to command air force pilots, navy captains and soldiers across the nation. This cyber-attack swiftly crashed thousands of Viasat transceivers, and cut off communication lifelines linking Ukraine's democratic rulers with their armed guardians, and with their allies across Europe and the globe. The United Kingdom's foreign secretary lashed out at 'Russian Military Intelligence' for staging the assault on the American satellite operator, and on Ukraine, and threatened the Kremlin would face 'severe repercussions.' Yet since then, Grossfeld says, sanctions imposed on Russia have failed to deter Putin's expansionist ambitions and dreams of a renewed Soviet empire, or his escalating acts of sabotage aimed at destroying the willpower of the West and its backing for Ukraine. 'Despite multiple sabotage operations in Europe,' she adds, 'no actions have been taken by either the U.S. or NATO against Russia.' That could inspire Putin to extend his clandestine campaigns of subversion into the heavens, she predicts, even as he gains ground in his terrestrial war against Ukraine.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia's tea growers work to revive an industry that collapsed with the Soviet Union
By Felix Light ANASEULI, Georgia (Reuters) -When Lika Megreladze was a child, life in her native western Georgian region of Guria revolved around tea. Her mother worked for decades as a scientist at the Soviet Union's Institute of Tea and Subtropical Crops in the village of Anaseuli, perfecting cultivation methods for a Georgian tea industry that supplied the bulk of the vast communist state's brews. 'When I was a child, this was only my mum's workplace. Only later I realised that it was something big,' she said. Now the institute lies abandoned. Yellowed papers are strewn around its decaying corridors, and a statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin lies toppled and overgrown in the courtyard. Throughout Guria's verdant subtropical hills, sprawling plantations have relapsed into jungly thickets interspersed with wild forests of tea. Dozens of cavernous old tea factories now stand empty and deserted. Introduced to Georgia in the early 20th century by a Chinese expert invited by the Imperial Russian authorities, tea plants flourished in the hot, humid climate of Guria, which stretches down from the Caucasus mountains to the Black Sea coast. But for the tea industry, the restoration of Georgia's independence in 1991, after two centuries of rule from Moscow, came almost as a death blow. The collapse of the Soviet Union opened its market to cheaper Asian imports, while the disintegration of the Georgian economy amid a brief civil war in the early 1990s saw electricity cut off, and tea factories plundered for spare parts and scrap metal. By 2016, according to official figures, Georgian tea production had declined 99% from its 1985 peak. 'The institute collapsed because the Soviet Union collapsed,' said Megreladze, who now owns a guesthouse and cultivates her own small tea plantation for visitors. 'Georgia, a young country, could not save this huge industry,' she said. Now, over three decades since the Soviet collapse, some locals are trying to revive the tea industry. Ten years ago, Nika Sioridze and Baaka Babunashvili began rehabilitating derelict tea plantations, financed partly by a grant from the Georgian government. Their GreenGold Tea is one of several new companies that brought tea fields in and around Ozurgeti, Guria's regional capital, back to life. Processing their tea in one wing of an abandoned Soviet silk factory in the town, they aim to reintroduce Georgian tea to local and European buyers. 'For 40 years nothing was happening here. Here was a jungle,' said founder Sioridze. Under the Soviet Union, which prioritised quantity of production above all, Georgian tea mainly acquired a poor reputation for quality. Guria's fields grew mostly simple black teas, with bushes harvested by machines, seeing older leaves and even stems thrown into the mix. Now, they say, their task is to reinvent Georgian tea as a high quality, distinctive product for a new era. 'We must be different from Chinese tea makers, Taiwanese tea makers,' said Sioridze. 'Because Georgia is Georgia and we need some niche to make our own tea.' Solve the daily Crossword
