The military legacy of the Soviet Union

• The military legacy of the Soviet Union

It is clear that these tanks are nothing save, will arrive a couple of missiles, and will cover the entire island at once, but still sad to see how abandoned equipment costs and rot. Incidentally, some of the tanks, consider, just after the Great Patriotic get here, we can say, is open and operates open-air museum on Shikotan. Only for the exhibits have not watched.

And once it was a formidable force capable of, if not stop, the strong hold of the enemy. Tanks are dug deep in the hills between and dug trenches in some places they even concreted. Powerful armor of tanks and constant combat crew training - and in the ranks were 10 cars - were only a very serious problem for a potential enemy of the time.

Twice a year there is a compulsory firings and, one might say, each meter has been sighted. Imagine if a dozen shells at once will fall into one point, no one not find it. Shikotan, and other Kuril Islands, at the time, were well protected. On Iturup and Kunashir, I have often come across the remains of fortified areas, but that the number of tanks for the first time see. Then came the end of the Soviet Union, began dashing 90-s, the consequences of which we will feel for a long time. In the 90s happened a serious earthquake, many buildings were destroyed, the message from the islands then (in general, and now) was irregular, and people survived as best they could. Japan helped food and goods, and in return we disarmed, strong and efficient Russia did not need anyone. Leaving the hunters and fishermen to engage in further use of vodka in the lap of nature, I went to conquer the "tank hill." A half hour gentle ascent along the old road - and I'm on top. On one of the peaks, where the "hiding" a tank, can be clearly seen myself Krabozavodsk village.

Because Krabozavodsk climb on the hill easy, not quite overgrown old road and getting lost here is impossible. After wandering in the forest debris, this road - like asphalt.

I went up to the top. All that can be broken and removed, smashed and removed. Apparently, it is part of the observation post.

With magnificent views of the hill. In a very beautiful place was the military part, I think, servicemen now with nostalgia service in these parts. I can not boast of such memories, we had all the trite and simple.

All excavated bunkers and trenches have long thickets, which, incidentally, is easy to calculate - which worked the hand of man, is now growing bushes, and where virgin soil - small bamboo.

The only building that still stands on the site of the. Now it bomzhatnik. Apparently, here in bad weather hide the fishermen, here dirt and trash such as empty cans and bottles of vodka and beer.

A little further begins tank museum. Here are presented the IS-2 and IS-3! In these machines has a long history, and we can safely burn them in antiques.

The whole hill is a well-fortified and equipped with defense. You see the tanks? And they are! see them at all unrealistic from the sea.

This is the next tank and, if you look closely, one can see the muzzle of the barrel pipe crap another tower. I have traveled to the island in late autumn. summer thickets above, and then even tanks near impossible to see.

The machine can pick up the trenches and dugouts, some of which is made of cement.

And around silence ... A little strange to see a tank gun is aimed at the quiet and calm Krabozavodsk. I guess someone just tried the mechanism of operation, they say, they are all in good condition. But shoot, of course, these tanks will never be, the barrel of their long-overgrown with lichen and rust.

A pair of poles and some barbed wire - it is all that remains of a military unit. On the way to the former part of something else where there are the pillars on which the stretched wires but they left quite a bit. Soon this benchmark by which I was looking for the tanks disappear. Interestingly, in Krabozavodsk, and in general on Shikotan, a lot of visitors and they do not know the history of the island. Many even outside of the village do not go.