300 Meters to Hell

An old bunker filled with radioactive wastes discovered very close to blocks of flats
A dilapidated military housing area on the territory of a former military unit near the village of Belevo, 15 kilometers from the Russian city of Rybinsk has become the talk of the town long ago. For about 25 years since 1972, an air defense unit had been stationed there. However, when the government had no money to finance the air defense in the 1990s, the military unit was disbanded. Unfortunately, the government completely forgot about officers and soldiers who spent their best time serving to the country. 15 families of servicemen stayed to live in the military housing area in the forest which had neither telephone nor bus communication with the city.

It is strange but two years ago authorities of Rybinsk decided to settle citizens who couldn't settle public utility bills right in the military housing area. Homeless people and those who lost their houses because of a fire were offered accommodation in the area several times. But the people refused. In fact, there is no proper accommodation left in the place. Families of former missile specialists who used to serve in the military unit are already living in houses that are good for living. The rest of the buildings in the military housing area are already dilapidated and plundered.

Local citizens tell that strange events sometimes occur in the place. Olga Chebotar from the military housing area tells that several lorries came to the place late in the evening last autumn. Some people unloaded cases and sacks in a rocket bunker that was not used; it was situated just situated 300 meters from blocks of flats. Although people living in the military housing area focused attention of the authorities on the problem of the stuff unloaded into the bunker, the access to the bunker is still free. The radiation was off the scale in that place!

Indeed, the stuff unloaded close to the military housing area in Belevo is really very dangerous. The marking on the cases and the contents reveal that the stuff was brought to the place from a naval base in Kobostovo, the place quite close to Belevo. An ecological scandal broke out over a disbanded military unit in Kobostovo early this year. When the base was liquidated, servicemen left lots of dangerous wastes in the place. The servicemen were criticized for the fault. As it turns now, they did take measures to do away with the wastes. To all appearances, a great part of the dangerous load was transferred from Kobostovo to Belevo.

People living in the place say that ecological departments and local authorities always find excuses to wave people aside when the latter complain about the bunker with dangerous stuff. They say that cases which register off the scale radiation allegedly contain fertilizers. People don't believe these lame excuses. Unfortunately, the ill-fated bunker is still open.

Alexander Yefremov
Zolotoye Koltso

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Author`s name Michael Simpson
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