Fact or Fiction: Secret Subway in Moscow Posted by Jenya on Aug 19, 2015 in Culture, History, Soviet Union, when in Russia
Whenever we hear something like “The government will neither deny nor confirm the existence of……..” our ears perk up. We know that they are talking about some classified secret of sorts – often related to the military machine. In America you have Area 51, in the UK you have Porton Down, in China you have the Yulin Naval Base, and in Russia you have secret installations as well. Actually there are quite a few and today I will touch upon Metro-2 or Moscow Metro 2. Some of you have heard about the famous and beautiful subway beneath the streets of Moscow, the Moscow Metro; however, Metro-2 is quite different.
Codenamed D-6 by the KGB and built between 200-300m below the city streets for the ultra-paranoid Joseph Stalin, this secret subway existed for different reasons – none of which are easy to positively verify. Some say it was meant to evacuate high-ranking officers in the event of nuclear war. It was also alleged to provide Comrade Stalin a quick and direct route to his dacha. Others say that it is meant to connect the Kremlin to the FSB headquarters. Due to Napoleon and Hitler’s near success in taking Moscow, combined with the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. during the Cold War, you can hardly blame Stalin for wanting some means of survival in the event on war.
The U.S. Department of Defense published a report in 1991 about this secret subway system entitled Military Forces in Transition in which it stated that the purpose of this was continuation of government in the event of war – namely with the U.S.. The report states that the elaborate system would enable certain members of the national command authority to travel from their peacetime offices through secret entryways to the subway which would take them to command posts in and around Moscow – including the VIP Terminal at Vnulovo Airfield. Reportedly this system can house an estimated 10,000 people and survive a nuclear holocaust. Here is a map of metro-2 put together by DOD (taken from this site); the dotted lines indicate the secret metro routes.
It was reported by the BBC that a journalist was taken in and questioned by the KGB just for writing about this secret site. Whether or not this is true, it serves to escalate the curiosity factor. In 1994 a group of urban explorers called the Diggers of the Underground Planet stated that they had found the main entrance. Whether or not any of this is true, these types of secret sites are interesting for some to learn about and for others to discover. I would bet that most nations, especially those near the top of the pyramid of power, have secret places to allow a continuation of government during an unlikely event.
The video below will give an opportunity to practice your Russian while getting some more info on the subject. Всего хорошего!
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About the Author: Jenya
Born in Russia, I spent the first twenty years of my life in Orenburg, Russia and Mogilev, Belarus. For the last eleven years, I've lived in New Hampshire and Michigan, US. While I continue to absorb and adapt to American culture, I am always thrilled to share my Russian heritage with those who find it interesting. Travel, photography and art play a special part in my life. Twitter: @iamnx2u
Comments:
Nessa:
We don’t have anything quite as exciting as secret metros here in Ireland. Every now and then, someone will find guns buried in their back garden dating back from the Civil War or the War of Independence, but if I don’t think the British would have liked it very much if we tried building secret underground hideaways.
Jenya:
@Nessa Nessa, I am sure every country harbors its own secrets. It is always interesting when this type information surfaces 🙂