After visiting the Missile Base museum in Ukraine, we set out to find the rest of the missile units that had been lost and abandoned in Ukraine’s “secret” woods. Contrary to the official records, not all of the missile shafts were destroyed. We discovered that most of them had simply been abandoned and looted by local people. Even so, it is still a great site for urban exploration and a truly untouched page of the Cold War in Ukraine.
R-12 / SS-4 SANDAL
The R-12 was the first Soviet strategic missile using storable propellants and a completely autonomous inertial guidance system. With its ability to deliver a megaton-class nuclear warhead, the rocket provided the capability to attack strategic targets at medium ranges. This system constituted the bulk of the Soviet offensive missile threat to Western Europe. It was deployed at both soft launch pads and hard silos.
Nuclear Bunker Tour with interesting historical facts from stalkers!
The Sandal is a single-stage rocket with a separable single reentry vehicle. In the integrated fuel tanks, the oxidizer was placed ahead of the fuel tank, separated by an intermediate plate. During flight, this allowed the oxidizer in the lower section to be used first, thus improving in-flight stabilization. The propulsion system consists of four liquid-propellant rocket motors with a common turbopump unit. Flight control was carried out with the help of four carbon jet vanes located in the nozzles of the rocket motors. The autonomous guidance and control system used center-of-mass normal and lateral stabilization devices, a velocity control system, and a computer-assisted automatic range control system.
Its development was approved on 13 August 1955 by the Ministerial Council and carried out by Yangel’s OKB-586.
Where Are the Abandoned Launch Silos on the Map?
These abandoned silos are located near the village of Yakushintsy, in the Vinnitsa area.
Inside the Abandoned Cold War Missile Base
On our right were the duty rooms, with the ceiling of the floor below missing between them — that gap was the floor we were standing on. The same hole separated us from the next room, which had once been a staircase. After some hopping and walking along boards, we reached the staircase that no longer had any stairs, so we decided to investigate further. Another large, empty room lay on our right, which confirmed our fears: not only had the Soviets taken all the equipment, but even the scrap metal had been stolen. There was a hole in the floor of the next room, where somebody had built makeshift ladders out of wooden scraps, so we climbed down to the second floor underground. The next two rooms had been used for piping and generators, and a large tray suggested that a cistern had once been mounted on top of it.
Abandoned Rocket Silo SS-4 SANDAL
Not far from the main bunker complex, we went through the communication tunnel and came to the rocket silo.
In Ukraine, there are still around seven SS-4 silo complexes left to explore, along with one truly great and unique Missile Base museum. Another.Kiev Crew organizes one-day tours to this unique Cold War museum, and we can also take your group to an abandoned underground silo complex. Contact us