Historical Abandoned Military Bases Around the World
The Duga Radar, USSR (Present Day Ukraine)
Tucked away in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the Duga Radar is a massive mountain of Soviet steel that was once used to gather military intelligence. Standing at around fifty stories tall and over 1,500 feet wide, the structure is uncomfortably big and only recently became accessible to the public.
Constructed in 1976, the Duga was equipped with a radar transmission of 10 megawatts, which is powerful to say the least. The US would give Duga the nickname “The Russian Woodpecker” due to the incessant clicking it emitted for radio operators everywhere. It was designed to be able to detect incoming US missiles, but its signals were so powerful that they infiltrated radio signals everywhere to the frustration of many.
Today the Russian Woodpecker sits useful only to those looking to climb to the top for a thrill. Its massive size and close proximity to the nuclear reactor that caused the disaster at Chernobyl make it a haunting reminder of a different time.
