The Soviet Nuclear Missile Base

Do you want to visit something spectacular and unexpected? Or maybe show the kids something you won’t find on any routes or maps? And – we can bet – also something that neither your friends nor relatives have visited? If your answer is yes, read on – this article is just for you.

The Soviet nuclear missile base in Vepriai is a completely abandoned, but it’s a very interesting place nonetheless.

Unexpectedly, a Missile Base was Discovered in the Woods

Have you heard about the secret bases located on the territory of Lithuania? We discovered one of such nuclear missile bases – the Vepriai missile base – quite unexpectedly. Have you heard of it? We didn’t, but we discovered it quite recently and unexpectedly, when we bought a homestead and were looking for places to pick mushrooms in the fall.

Driving along a sandy, narrow forest road, embankments suddenly begin. Well, we thought – maybe we can find some ruins here. After driving further, we could see that the remains of buildings and ruins were covered with earth and planted with plants. After driving even deeper into the woods we saw reinforced concrete hangars, launch pads, many other collapsed buildings. I’ll admit, it was really scary the first time. So we turned around and quickly left for home. And after returning home, we rushed to look for information and read. And then, driven by great curiosity, we returned back.

The Soviet Nuclear Missile Base and its History

The construction of the missile base began in 1958. After about a couple of years, rockets were already brought and in 1960 On October 1, combat duty was introduced. The Vepriai base had 4 R-12 ballistic missile launch sites.

The missiles were stored in heavily concealed hangars at the base. You can find such preserved 4 hangars in Vepriai.

The nuclear weapon for the missiles was kept in a separate area, but a couple of kilometers away. There is a launch pad in front of each hangar. The missiles could fly up to 3000 km and carry a nuclear charge of 2-3 megatons.

Could the Rocket Have Been Launched in Vepriai?

There are three combat modes of the missile: constant, increased and full readiness. In Vepriai, the rockets were in a constant position. Which means that they were stored in a hangar without a nuclear charge. After receiving the order to prepare the missiles for the increased combat position, they are towed to the launch pad, and the nuclear warhead was attached.

Currently this place is completely abandoned hard to find.

The Vepriai base ended its service in 1998 and has been completely abandoned since then. The territory must have been big, because it takes up a lot of space, and you can even get lost while driving. Since it is right next to our homestead, sometimes we stop by this place while hiking in the forest or picking mushrooms. Although this missile base is very close to the famous Kopustėliai missile base, it is almost unknown to anyone. Here, unlike at the Kopūstėliai missile base, there are neither excursions nor education.

So, if you want to visit a really secret place and remember to see the relics of the Cold War with your own eyes, do travel towards the Soviet nuclear base and see it for yourself.

Veipriai

Veipriai

Veipriai

Veipriai

Veipriai

This article is author’s work and was prepared by “Travelling with Children ®”. Copying and using without the permission of the author or “Travelling with Children ®” is strictly prohibited.

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