5 classified Soviet-era locations scattered around Ukraine. Photo

Most secret Soviet facilities were built during the Cold War. At that time, the government was most afraid of a missile attack from the United States.

Therefore, the Union was building up its nuclear potential, constructing military bases and spy equipment, including on the territory of Ukraine. Today, former strategic secret facilities have become popular tourist destinations.

OBOZREVATEL tells about the top 5 such locations in Ukraine.

• Ionospheric Research Station in Zmiiv, Kharkiv region

A secret observatory in the Kharkiv region was built in Soviet times. However, the complex is still functioning. It is now one of the world's largest institutes that studies outer space around the earth. Giant antennas and devices attract the attention of tourists.

This station was built in the USSR in response to the American project HAARP, which could regulate weather conditions. Scientists provoked rainstorms and floods to hinder the movement of troops. However, the Soviet construction was never used to its full capacity.

• Pamir station in Bukovyna, Chernivtsi region

At the height of the Cold War, the construction of a secret radar station was launched in the Carpathians. It was supposed to control the airspace from Turkey to the Baltic Sea. There was an autonomous town on Mount Tomnatyk with 30 soldiers and 80 officers.

In 1990, the station stopped working, and the city's domes began to attract tourists from all over the country. Here singer Jamala filmed her famous video for the song "1944", which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.

• Duga radar station in Chornobyl, Kyiv region

The secret Duga radar station was built in the late 1970s. Its function was to detect intercontinental ballistic missiles. With the help of Duga, the Union wanted to prevent a nuclear attack from the United States. The first tests of the radar took place in 1979. However, it was never put into operation because of the Chornobyl accident.

The 150-meter-high antenna can be seen from anywhere in the exclusion zone. In 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers included the Chornobyl Arch in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.

• Lyubech-1 in Ripky district, Chernihiv region

The Lyubech-1 security facility was built in the Chernihiv region. The military unit maintained a 150-meter antenna. The system determined the trajectory of missiles and the impact zone of the projectile.

The antenna was dismantled in the early 2000s, and the military unit was disbanded. Only abandoned houses and the eerie atmosphere of the time remained of the secret object of the Cold War.

• Dnipro radar station in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia region

There is a radar station near the city of Mukachevo, known to locals as Shypka. It started operating in 1979, monitoring the space over Western Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and North Africa for 30 years.

The main task of the station was to detect the launch point, trajectory and impact zone of the missile.

The station operated until 2009, transmitting classified data to Russia. Currently, it is home to the Center for Radio Surveillance. It should be noted that since 2020, small groups of tourists have sometimes been allowed to visit the station.