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Duga 1 - the "Russian Woodpecker"

Deep in the radiation-contaminated Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, lies a mysterious, peaceful and virtually untouched forest hiding a secret – the Duga radar missi...
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Deep in the radiation-contaminated Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, lies a mysterious, peaceful and virtually untouched forest hiding a secret – the Duga radar missile early warning installation.

The Duga systems were extremely powerful, over 10 MW in some cases, and broadcast in the shortwave radio bands. They appeared without warning, sounding like a sharp, repetitive tapping noise at 10 Hz,[1] which led to it being nicknamed by shortwave listeners the Russian Woodpecker. The random frequency hops disrupted legitimate broadcasts, amateur radio operations, oceanic commercial aviation communications, and utility transmissions, resulting in thousands of complaints by many countries worldwide.

Once a closely guarded secret, this immense structure can be seen for miles around.
From a distance, it appears to be a gigantic wall. On close inspection, it's an enormous, dilapidated structure made up of hundreds of huge antennas and turbines 150 meters (492 feet) high and stretching almost 700 meters in length

The Duga radar (which translates as "The Arc") was once one of the most powerful military facilities in the Soviet Union's communist empire. But left to rot in the radioactive winds of Chernobyl, it's now in a sad state of industrial decay.

Anyone exploring the undergrowth at its feet will stumble upon neglected vehicles, steel barrels, broken electronic devices and metallic rubbish, the remainders of the hasty evacuation shortly after the nuclear disaster.

On Soviet maps, the Duga radar was marked as a children's camp (there's even a bizarre bus stop on the road to one facility decorated with a bear mascot from the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow).
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