Whilst out strolling in the Russian countryside its amazing what you can find.
These pictures seem to show an unguarded S-300 site.
Click here for more, anyone speak Russian?
Think DefenceUK Defence Issues and the odd container or two
i’d be surprised if any of that equipment worked!
My Russian is a bit rusty, but from the comments there it actually IS an active duty S-300 site somewhere in the Moscow region.
The photographer laments that the single security guard left (!) didn’t paid too much attention to him and his friends visiting, since the guard and his colleagues are out drinking and sleeping it off because(quote) “anyone knows spies don’t come during the weekends, and especially on saturdays” (unqoute).
There aren’t even “Don’t Touch/Forbidden” signs; it is joked that here the “trust” system is in full effect (…)
The photographer further states that the guard said he could look around and even climb the radar tower. The guard states that he is told to guard an expensive weapon system, but isn’t allowed any rudimentary maintenance – “He can’t even guard against rust!”. Besides, the guard is more annoyed by having to crap in the woods due to lack of money for proper sanitation facilities.
In his conclusion the writer states that the story is NOT something made up by a fantasy writer, and that one could really pull all levers and push buttens if one wanted to – anyone with malicious intent could launch a missile.
Great find Think Defense, and thanks for ruining my sleep for the next couple of days. If they do this with their primary defense systems, I hate to think how the Russians are keeping their ICMBs in working order…
“comments there it actually IS an active duty S-300 site”
i have no doubt that it is, but i still doubt it functions properly.
I hope we don’t slip into the mindset of, “This could never happen on a NATO base.”
Somewhere amongst our NATO allies, there’s a guard with his feet up catching some zzz’s.
Time for guard commanders and duty officers everywhere to carry out a spot check and wake up the lazy bas*ards!
“Besides, the guard is more annoyed by having to crap in the woods due to lack of money for proper sanitation facilities”
So it’s just the russian bear that sh*ts in the woods then?
taxi for one!!
Jedibeeftrix – apparently rust is activly forming right under their noses, so at least the missiles are doing *something*!
P.S. apologies for my shoddy English and typing; I blame caffeine withdrawal
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There was a post on here a while ago, linking a blog that had all the sites marked on google maps, this just takes that a bit further.
It is a pleasent thought unless NATO’s intelligence function is completely incompetant, we have detailed photographs and scheatics of these things.
Thanks for the translation Marcase, it’s incredible isn’t it
This is a great post! Bravo, TD!
Can you imagine how easy it would be for a bunch of professional nuclear terrorists to break-in and steal a couple of warheads? Wait for a quiet weekend. Break-in without anyone noticing. Remove two warheads. With any luck, the theft might not even be noticed.
Of course, if the loss was discovered quickly, there would be a major hoo-haa while the Russian Army and Police searched high and low for the missing weapons. Meanwhile, Terry Terrorist – who always has time on his side – simply parks the contraband in a remote hiding place until all the fuss dies down. Two or three years down the road, maybe longer, the warheads are discreetly transported to a small fishing village where a trawler is waiting. This, in turn intercepts a merchant vessel bound for Los Angeles. Hermetically sealed and protected from detection by a lead shield, the warheads arrive unnoticed, not least because they are also delivered on 4th July, a US Public Holiday. Within 24 hours the weapons are placed in a downtown lower-ground floor apartment. Walled-in behind concrete, they cannot easily be found or disarmed, A timer is set…
A message is sent to Barack Obama: we will nuke LA unless the US quits Afghanistan by Thursday.
Would you risk such a venture against the US if you knew they would retaliate with nuclear weapons? Maybe not? But how about the USA’s poodle: Britain, which no longer has nuclear weapons? Easy target, no?
In short, these woefully unprotected nuclear weapons make a strong case for retaining an independent nuclear deterrent.
(Apologies for my over-active imagination.)
Nicholas, the S300 is an anti aircraft missile
but your general point is spot on
Admin,
Thank you for that. (Nicholas’ face reddens in embarrassment for failing to recognise S300 for what it is.)
Those surely cannot be working?
I suppose the only reason “terrorists” (the most ambiguous term in the world) haven’t been around pinching the missiles is because they probably know what would happen if they did. If they stole some rockets, the russians would find out, they would find them but they would not do any of this wishy-washy touchy-feely ‘justice’ that we do. They would simply say “you steel missile, you become missile, simples”. And the next time they test their rockets only they would what they were armed with.
Well, no worries Nicholas; the S-300 is “nuclear capable”. The infamous “Carpet” strategy (throw a nuke airborne in the path of an incoming bomber fleet) was still alive and well during the S-300 design period…!
On a side note, who to retaliate with nukes in case of a nuclear attack/”dirty bomb” by unaligned terrorists? Fanatic ideology/religion knows no boundaries and borders.
Marcase,
If the US was attacked with nuclear weapons, it might well use such an ‘opportunity’ to eliminate all of its enemies in a kind of one-off strike. Goodbye Pakistan, Iran, north Korea and any other hotbed of international terrorism in one fell swoop. Whatever the US did, it is likely that there would be severe collateral damage. This being the case, a retaliatory strike could precipitate further attacks in a kind of ‘clash of civilisations’ scenario. Without nuclear weapons, the UK might become a soft target. Given our propensity for poking our nose in international hotspots, we have already made enemies who would welcome the chance to give us a bloody nose.
“On a side note, who to retaliate with nukes in case of a nuclear attack/”dirty bomb” by unaligned terrorists?”
Anyone who looks like they fit the bill.
Seriously, if LA was hit with a nuclear weapon, if Obama or his replacement hasnt unleased armagedon on *someone* by the end of the week, he’ll be replaced with someone who will.
I think…
DominicJ & Nicholas – “If the US was attacked with nuclear weapons, it might well use such an ‘opportunity’ to eliminate all of its enemies in a kind of one-off strike.”
Then that’s going to be one Big Mother of a strike, considering all axes of evil and such.
We can safely assume, that a nuclear capable Iran willing to strike abroad (at the US, Russia, UK…) would use proxies instead of ballistic missiles. For them, their long-range precision strike consists of not-so-smart suicide bombers rigged with a (dirty) nuclear weapon. Having been there, I can safely say that deniability is also an issue as saving face is big, and I mean BIG, thing in the cultures of that part of the world.
So if a Lone Wolf off-shoot of, say Hezbollah, throws a Mushroom Party, and Iranian involvement is denied and only partly proven via nuclear residue, would the West execute a nuclear strike at Iran?
I wonder. I like to think so, but I honestly wonder if current and future politicians (in general) would have the cojones to push The Button.
Marcase
I think if you asked a politician, or anyone for that matter, right now they would say, we would find the correct target and respond in the correct manner.
And that worked for something like 11/9.
But a dirty bomb in LA is something different, the death toll would be higher, a month after the attack, it would still be increasing from rad poisioning and million of people would be living in tents in the desert, and the elderly would be dropping like flies there as well.
Anyone saying, “well lets not be hastey, we dont want to harm an innocent” when footage of dead, dieing and starving Americans has been on TV for a month will be dragged onto the street and beaten to death.
They might not, in fact probably wont, lash out at everyone, but a scape goat will be found, quickly, if the real target cant be found in time.
Why bother stealing a warhead?
Fake it…take some pictures of the “raid”, the cache, the transfer to trawler, the lead casing, the shipping container, the apartment and post it all on the internet with some demands and piss about laughing…
I saw a series of documentaries about some chap called James Bond who specialises in saving the world from these scenarios by…erm… fornicating.