Bunker 42 can withstand two Hiroshima-style atomic bombs and was once considered the "safest place in Moscow." In addition, the bunker is equipped with an independent energy supply system and a long-distance communication system, air purifiers and food and drinking water storage areas, which can accommodate 2500 people in the underground for a long time.
The former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said: "Russia is a mystery hidden in a mystery."
It is said that there are many secret buildings hidden in the underground of Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation. Among them, in the underground of a residential building near Taganka subway station, there is a top secret facility-Bunker 42.
Built for a nuclear counterattack against the United States in
1945, Truman, then President of the United States, proudly told Stalin, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, during the Potsdam Conference: "We have developed a new type of bomb whose destructive power is unimaginable. "Although Stalin had mastered the progress of the Manhattan atomic bomb project through the intelligence department, he was still angry and shocked after hearing Truman's words, so he immediately ordered the construction of a secret bunker in Moscow.
It is reported that in 1950, construction of Bunker No. 42 began and was completed in 1956, only 3 kilometers away from the Kremlin. Its purpose is to provide a temporary shelter for the top Soviet leaders and the military in the event of a nuclear attack in Moscow, so that they can continue to live and command the war here.
The design of this secret bunker is under the responsibility of the Moscow Metro Design Bureau, and the project is absolutely confidential. During the construction period, construction workers alternate regularly, and the construction work is also carried out at night. The excavated soil and rock and the required building materials are transported through the tunnel of the Taganka subway station. Therefore, from the ground, this secret project could not be discovered at all, and the construction team did not know what they were really building.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Army prepared for a nuclear counterattack against the United States and tested Bunker 42. If the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States could not be resolved through negotiations, the Soviet commander would press the nuclear button in Bunker 42 to destroy the United States with nuclear weapons. Fortunately, nothing happened.
This underground world was not exposed until the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Since then, part of it has been transformed into a Cold War Museum and officially opened to the public in 2006.
Hiroshima-type atomic bombs can withstand two blows
in order to enter the bunker No. 42, people need to walk down 20 flights of stairs to the depths of 65 meters underground. To prevent nuclear strikes, Bunker 42 is deeper than the Moscow Metro, which is famous for its depth. In the bunker, you can clearly hear the subway roaring above.
As a nuclear bunker, the structure of Bunker 42 is very strong. The outer wall is made of metal and concrete, which can withstand two Hiroshima-style atomic bombs. Therefore, Bunker 42 was once considered the "safest place in Moscow."
The area of the entire bunker is about 7000 square meters, divided into 4 areas. Each area has a different division of labor, some store materials, and some provide life support systems.
In addition to serving as a nuclear bunker, Bunker 42 also functions as a wartime command center. The bunker is equipped with an independent energy supply system and a remote communication system, and is equipped with air purifiers and food and drinking water storage areas, which can accommodate 2500 people in the underground for a long time. In addition, in order to facilitate the transfer of people, special railroad tracks have been laid in the bunker to directly connect to Moscow's subway network, but these areas are still not open to tourists.
Although Bunker 42 is also called Stalin's Bunker, it was only completed in 1956, and Stalin died in 1953, so he himself never used this office. Today, the room is still decorated in Stalin's style, with a black couch inside and a wax statue of Stalin behind the desk. In the conference room next door, there is a large conference table about 10 meters long.
In order to enhance the experience of visitors, the museum will suddenly turn off the lights to sound the alarm when visitors pass through the passage, and then broadcast to inform everyone of the "nuclear bomb attack". The flashing red alarm on the wall, coupled with the loud noise deliberately made by the tour guide, makes people feel like they are back to the tense era.
In the showroom inside the bunker, visitors can see a model of the Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb, communications equipment from various periods in the Soviet Union, and items used by Soviet officers and soldiers who lived here.
The real nuclear console is still a military secret and will not be displayed to the public. However, in the showroom, there is a simulated nuclear bomb launch console that can be operated by two visitors. Through the large screen in front of the console, you can see that the nuclear bomb of the hypothetical country has been launched, and a nuclear counterattack is now required. Two tourists must turn the key, enter the code, and fire the nuclear bomb at the same time. The nervous video is accompanied by the sirens all around, making visitors feel the tension.
Russia is building underground bunkers
, although No. 42 bunkers already disabled, but that does not mean that Russia's security environment has improved.
Last year, the United States was equipped with a new type of B61-12 nuclear bomb, which claims to be capable of destroying underground bunkers. At the same time, the United States is also actively developing hypersonic weapons, which poses a threat to the daily office locations of government and military leaders.
In mid-November of the same year, Russian President Putin stated at a high-level military meeting that Russia had built absolutely safe facilities to control strategic nuclear forces. Some analysts infer that this kind of facility should be some kind of underground bunker. Public information shows that there are at least two locations in Russia that fit the description: one is located in the Kosvinsky Mountains in the north of the Ural Mountains, and the other is located in the Yamanta Mountains in the south of the Ural Mountains, both of which were built in the 1970s.
The outside world believes that the underground facilities of the Kosvinsky Mountain are hidden under 300 meters of granite, and it is related to a set of command and control systems called "dead hands". It is reported that the "Dead Hand" system is code-named "peripheral", and the core part of the system is placed in a solid underground bunker, and there are three indicator lights: the first light is on, which means that the operator has obtained the "pre-authorization" for launching nuclear missiles; The second light is on, which means that the top Russian leadership is unable to perform their duties normally; the third light is on, it means that the enemy’s nuclear strike is coming. Under the premise that all three lights are on, the officer on duty can choose to activate a special missile. The missile is equipped with a signal launcher, which can broadcast the command code for launching a nuclear counterattack while flying. This system is also designed with a fully automatic version, which claims to be able to perform nuclear counterattack procedures more thoroughly.
The underground facilities of Yamantao Mountain are located 900 meters underground, and only personnel with special permits can live and work here. In a state of crisis, the top Russian leaders can move here. Because nearby rocks contain quartz, it will interfere with radio communications.
In addition, it is reported that Russia is building dozens of new bunkers in the Kremlin and other places.
As the situation changes, it is not ruled out that Russian officials will disclose more relevant information.
