Located beneath Mount Mishen, an inland peak not far from Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, this site is one of the USSR’s largest unfinished military projects.
Construction began in 1977 to create a new headquarters for the Soviet Black Sea Fleet – the idea was to build the ultimate bomb-proof facility that could oversee the navy in Sevastopol, as well as the nuclear submarine base built at nearby Balaklava.
The solution they came up with was to hollow out a mountain… digging a base deep inside the rock. They named it ‘Object 221’ (or as the locals call it, ‘Objekt 221’) and the finished base was intended to feature four levels of communication, hardware and residential areas beneath a 180-metre cap of solid mountain.
Once completed, Object 221 would be able to communicate with the outside world by way of an antenna array that would emerge through 4.5m-wide shafts reaching all the way up to the peak of the mountain. Meanwhile, the design included full drainage systems, in addition to the housing for a nuclear reactor – capable of powering Object 221 without any help from the outside world.
Ultimately, Object 221 was never finished; it was a product of the Cold War, and the need for such a base died with it. By 1992 the guard detail was dropped, and the full-scale looting began. The base was 80-90% complete by this point… but within years the pipes, cabling, hardware and fittings would be stripped bare.
The plans above show the layout of the base, which is accessed by two large concrete portals positioned roughly 650m apart on the mountainside.
As for actually exploring the 10km-or-so of tunnels that make up Object 221... well, I'll let these images speak for themselves.
The road to Object 221.
An unfinished building at the roadside – rumoured to be accommodation for construction workers, but perhaps more likely a decoy for enemy bombs.
Warning sign printed near the entrance.
Passageways inside the base were designed large enough for military vehicles.
Large chambers at the rear of the command level.
The network of bulkheads and corridors deep inside the command level.
The beginning of the base's flooded drainage system.
Corridors approaching the reactor chamber.
The reactor well itself sits empty and rusted.
Empty stairwells offer sudden drops through three floors of the base.
Traces of pipes and cable runs still pepper the walls and bulkheads.
After roughly 5-6 hours underground, it's good to see blue skies again.
The concrete portals were painted up with fake windows – another trick, to disguise the entrances to the base.
The Crimea. Pretty damn beautiful, all things considered.
If you want to see more pictures, I've got a large collection of them along with a hefty write-up over on my site...
Inside Object 221: An Abandoned Soviet Stronghold in the Crimea.
Cheers for looking.
DR
Construction began in 1977 to create a new headquarters for the Soviet Black Sea Fleet – the idea was to build the ultimate bomb-proof facility that could oversee the navy in Sevastopol, as well as the nuclear submarine base built at nearby Balaklava.
The solution they came up with was to hollow out a mountain… digging a base deep inside the rock. They named it ‘Object 221’ (or as the locals call it, ‘Objekt 221’) and the finished base was intended to feature four levels of communication, hardware and residential areas beneath a 180-metre cap of solid mountain.
Once completed, Object 221 would be able to communicate with the outside world by way of an antenna array that would emerge through 4.5m-wide shafts reaching all the way up to the peak of the mountain. Meanwhile, the design included full drainage systems, in addition to the housing for a nuclear reactor – capable of powering Object 221 without any help from the outside world.
Ultimately, Object 221 was never finished; it was a product of the Cold War, and the need for such a base died with it. By 1992 the guard detail was dropped, and the full-scale looting began. The base was 80-90% complete by this point… but within years the pipes, cabling, hardware and fittings would be stripped bare.
The plans above show the layout of the base, which is accessed by two large concrete portals positioned roughly 650m apart on the mountainside.
As for actually exploring the 10km-or-so of tunnels that make up Object 221... well, I'll let these images speak for themselves.
The road to Object 221.
An unfinished building at the roadside – rumoured to be accommodation for construction workers, but perhaps more likely a decoy for enemy bombs.
Warning sign printed near the entrance.
Passageways inside the base were designed large enough for military vehicles.
Large chambers at the rear of the command level.
The network of bulkheads and corridors deep inside the command level.
The beginning of the base's flooded drainage system.
Corridors approaching the reactor chamber.
The reactor well itself sits empty and rusted.
Empty stairwells offer sudden drops through three floors of the base.
Traces of pipes and cable runs still pepper the walls and bulkheads.
After roughly 5-6 hours underground, it's good to see blue skies again.
The concrete portals were painted up with fake windows – another trick, to disguise the entrances to the base.
The Crimea. Pretty damn beautiful, all things considered.
If you want to see more pictures, I've got a large collection of them along with a hefty write-up over on my site...
Inside Object 221: An Abandoned Soviet Stronghold in the Crimea.
Cheers for looking.
DR
Wow! That is brilliant! ! And nice report
