# Chernobyl - Duga Radar & Kindergarten



## The Wombat (Oct 21, 2016)

*Report 5 from our epic trip to Chernobyl

A few sites near Pripyat, whilst still in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
After a long drive down a bumpy track, we spent a hot humid afternoon at the military radar & control station.

The history is interesting: The Duga was a Soviet Union over the horizon radar used an early warning of a nuclear missile attack from the west. A similar radar was built in eastern Siberia. It operated from 1976 to 1989, and was extremely powerful, over 10MW in some cases. The signal appeared without warning, sounding like a sharp repetitive tapping noise, which led it to be nicknamed the ‘Russian woodpecker’. The signal disrupted legitimate broadcast in the west & in the USSR. The signal became such a nuisance, that some amateur radios & televisions began including ‘woodpecker blankers’ in their design. The signal was a source of much speculation, giving rise to theories of Soviet mind control & weather experiments. I had seen photos of it, but seeing it up close is something else. The ominous large command station was a dark and often dangerous building, that had a control station and would have housed banks of computers over several stories. The damp inside offered a welcome relief from the bugs & humidity, but it did mean getting dripped on through insulation & filth.

The Kindergarten was an interesting place to explore. Childrens toys, chalk boards, cots & books hastily abandoned in the wake of the evacuation. Radiaton was low inside the building, but the vegetation outside harboured a few hot spots. Another thought provoking place.*







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Control room





Training room





















KINDERGARTEN






























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thanks for looking


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## smiler (Oct 21, 2016)

Shit, they weren't messing about with that array were they, Sound Job, Thanks


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## Wrench (Oct 22, 2016)

Epic indeed.
Nice shots there and top report.
I've yet to get to Chernobyl.


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## Brewtal (Oct 22, 2016)

Nice to see some more of your pics, they are cracking! Planning a trip there next year. Which company did you go with?


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## The Wombat (Oct 22, 2016)

smiler said:


> Shit, they weren't messing about with that array were they, Sound Job, Thanks



Cheers Smiler. It was huge!



Tbolt said:


> Epic indeed.
> Nice shots there and top report.
> I've yet to get to Chernobyl.



Thanks. Its certainly worth a trip




Brewtal said:


> Nice to see some more of your pics, they are cracking! Planning a trip there next year. Which company did you go with?



Thanks mate 
We used SoloEast
Can highly recomend. We had a 3 day tour, and 2 days in Kiev. Tour included food & accomodation.
Feel free to PM me if there is anything you would like to know


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## King Al (Oct 22, 2016)

That Duga thing just looks awesome, it is the number 1 thing i'd like to see if I ever get my self over to that part of the world! Great pics Wombat


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## HughieD (Oct 22, 2016)

Not a chance in hell of getting there myself so thank you for taking me there with your ace photographs.


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## shatners (Oct 23, 2016)

First class mate


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## The Wombat (Oct 23, 2016)

Many thanks guys, appreciate it


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## Malenis (Oct 24, 2016)

Fab fab fab photos!!! 
We're booked to go in May....


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## flyboys90 (Oct 24, 2016)

Splendid images,Thanks for showing.


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## Pilot (Oct 25, 2016)

10megawatt radar array? I wouldn't want to be standing near that when it went off! Plenty of radiation there even without the reactor.


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## Bignickb (Nov 13, 2016)

I was on the two day tour the week after! Such a great trip!


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## Sam Haltin (Nov 13, 2016)

A superb and interesting report.


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## The Wombat (Dec 16, 2016)

Many thanks everyone


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## Landie_Man (Dec 17, 2016)

Looking wicked! I did the kindergarten in Kopachi in 2013 and Duga in 2016!


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## Dam_01 (Dec 18, 2016)

Amazing place. 
Always love seeing pictures from around there.
Definitely on the list of places I'd love to visit.
Maybe at some point.


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## SS_EXplorer (Jan 4, 2017)

Love Chernobyl! Thank you for sharing. 


The reason I fell in love with abandoned buildings <3 


Kind Regards
:evil:
SS


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## The Wombat (Jan 5, 2017)

Many thanks guys


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