Secrets of the Soviet nuclear test area

The Novaya Zemlya archipelago (or new land) is the northern extension of the Ural Mountains, consisting of two islands separate from the Matochkin Shar strait. Both islands are 900 km long and have an area of ​​nearly 83,000 km ² .

A large area of ​​the two islands is covered by glaciers. During the period from September 21, 1955 to October 24, 1990, the Soviet Union conducted 132 nuclear explosions here: 87 aerial explosions, 1 on the ground, 2 on the water, 3 under the water and 42 underground explosions.

Unidentified flying object researchers (UFOs) say an object on Novaya Zemlya is similar to the US S-4 / Area-51 object in Nevada. In 1985, the base on the archipelago was upgraded and turned into a place to store and study UFOs. At that time, there were 4 disc shaped objects being held at Novaya Zemlya base. Three of them were UFOs that crashed in 1978, 1972 and 1984. In addition, there was a " Rus " aircraft built using UFO technology.

45 years of secret

Access to the archipelago is limited. Only a few witnesses observed UFO test flights. Recently, these flights are rarer. Due to lack of funds, the Russian army probably has few opportunities to conduct such paranormal tests.

One of the nuclear tests on Novaya Zemlya Islands.(Photo: Atomicforum)

Before February 27, 1992, Novaya Zemlya was not called a polygon. In 1992, President Boris Yeltsin signed the decree " Novaya Zemlya Polygon ". Initially, this polygon was named " Object-700 ". The Soviet Union Council of Ministers issued a decree to build a nuclear center there in 1954. To distract spies, this nuclear island was named after a settlement that was in fact located 300km east of the polygon.

In fact, a regiment of Soviet Su-27 aircraft is the only UFO maintained on this nuclear archipelago. Other flying objects are immediately identified and chased away (such as foreign spy planes) or shot down. Those who see and stand on Su-27 for themselves see that its shape is quite unusual. Standing on it is like standing on something out of the world.

The secret of Novaya Zemlya is also used for other purposes. When the Soviet authorities did not want someone to go abroad, they could send that person to Novaya Zemlya to work. The secret work means that the person still cannot leave the Soviet Union abroad, even within 5 years after the end of the working period on the island.

Today, the situation is completely different from before. People from this archipelago have no problems like many years ago. The population of the archipelago currently has about 1,000 people.

It is believed that 132 nuclear tests conducted on the islands left no victims. However, that is not true because many lab animals died during the tests and people died many years later.

Major General I.Pargamon recounted that in 1955 he was commander of the S-19 submarine. The ships in his brigade were far from the center of a nuclear explosion. This distance is estimated by researchers. Witnesses observed a giant mushroom cloud rising before their eyes. The burning debris of the explosion center ship shot up into the air.

However, soon the hideous cloud disappeared and the whole place fell into silence. Later, when sailors approached the shore, they saw a deformed hull on the coast - a rather stifling sight for them.

According to Major General I.Pargamon, another test was conducted within two years. The submarine under his command was ordered to dive to the bottom, at a depth of 60m, 600m from the center of the explosion. That means the ship and the experimental animals - dogs and sheep - on board must undergo the impact of a nuclear explosion.

The water in the test area suddenly shot up, followed by thunder and the Grozny torpedo ship exploded and slowly sank. Another torpedo boat quickly sank under the first ship.

Many submarines and other ships were also destroyed or seriously damaged. The submarine commanded by Pargamon is still safe and so are the animals on the deck. Lifeguards immediately put these animals in sacks and brought them to shore."The explosion was so shocking that no one estimated the radiation level on the deck," Major General Pargamon said.

The third underwater test was conducted in the fall of 1961, before Andrei Sakharov's 50 mega ton H bomb tests. Witnesses saw a horrifying scene. Initially, a small mushroom cap, with a diameter of about 10m appeared on the water surface and began to grow quickly. Then, suddenly a mushroom-shaped water column appeared and lifted up to 30m high.

From September 20 to October 25, 1958, 15 bombs were exploded in Novaya Zemlya sky. From September 10 to November 4, 1961, 24 bombs were tested in the air, meaning two days to try one.

On August 5, 1963, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union signed the first treaty to ban nuclear, underwater and space nuclear tests. The signing comes after research results show that radioactive dust from such tests seriously harms the environment and people. The 1963 Moscow treaty also banned nuclear explosions from spreading radioactive dust outside the borders of the test country itself.

The first underground test Novaya Zemlya took place on September 15, 1964. Until October 24, 1990, 42 underground explosions took place on the archipelago.

The silence returned

The sound of nuclear explosions today is rare on the Novaya Zemlya Islands. If so, it is only small tests, safe for people and the environment. In other words, these are models of nuclear explosions.

People who have been involved in island nuclear tests live on their own. Some have chosen to forget the scary experiences while others are trying to gain the right to be victims of nuclear tests.

So far, Novaya Zemlya has been reopened for scientific research. Researchers hope to conduct studies in nuclear areas on the islands to determine the level of residual radioactive waste.

Minh Son (General)