Terrible secrets of the USSR. Some facts from the history of the development of state secrets in the Russian Federation Declassified facts of the USSR

Secrets in the Union knew how to keep. And they were enough. Even today, not everyone knows about some of them, although the USSR has long been gone.

Netizens have collected a few of them.

Among them are the existence of the Caspian Sea Monster, the worst missile disaster in the history of the USSR, and a museum of "decaying bourgeois creativity."

The secrets are arranged in random order without ranking them according to their importance.

1. World's largest nuclear disaster (at the time)

When people hear about major nuclear disasters, Chernobyl and Fukushima come to mind for most. Few people know about the third nuclear disaster - the Kyshtym accident in 1957, which occurred near the city of Kyshtym in southern Russia. As in the case of the Chernobyl accident, the main cause of the disaster was poor design, namely the construction of a cooling system that could not be repaired. When coolant started leaking from one of the tanks, the workers simply turned it off and didn't touch it for a year. Who needs cooling systems in Siberia?

It turns out that cooling is needed for containers in which radioactive waste is stored. The temperature in the tank rose to 350 degrees Celsius, which eventually led to an explosion that threw a 160 ton concrete cover into the air (which was originally 8 meters underground). Radioactive substances spread over 20,000 square kilometers.

The houses of 11,000 people were destroyed after the evacuation of nearby areas, and about 270,000 people were exposed to radiation. Only in 1976 did a Soviet emigrant first mention the catastrophe in the Western press. The CIA has known about the disaster since the 1960s, but fearing negative attitude Americans to their own nuclear industry, decided to downplay the accident. Only in 1989, three years after the Chernobyl accident, did the details of the catastrophe in Kyshtym become known to the public.

2. manned lunar program

In May 1961, US President John F. Kennedy announced that he believed the US should put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. By that point, the Soviet Union was leading the space race - the first object launched into orbit, the first animal in orbit, and the first man in space. However, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to visit the moon, thus defeating the Soviet Union in this race. In a race in which the Soviet Union did not officially take part - until 1990 the USSR denied that they had their own manned lunar program. It was part of the policy that each space program was kept secret until it was successful.

The Soviet Union had to partially acknowledge the existence of the program in August 1981, when the Soviet satellite Kosmos-434, launched in 1971, entered the atmosphere over Australia. The Australian government, concerned that nuclear materials might be on board, was assured by the Soviet Foreign Minister that the satellite was an experimental lunar craft.

Other details of the program, including test runs, have been hidden. The test of lunar suits during the docking of spacecraft in 1969 was presented as part of the construction space station- The USSR continued to claim that they had no plans to land on the moon. As a result, the failed Soviet program to land on the moon was closed in 1976.

3. Treasure of creativity

In the 1990s, Western journalists and diplomats were invited to a secret museum hidden in the remote city of Nukus, Uzbekistan. The museum housed hundreds of works of art dating from the beginning of the Stalinist regime, when artists were forced to live up to the ideals of the Communist Party. "Decomposing bourgeois creativity" was replaced by paintings of factories and without the participation of Igor Savitsky (collector), most of the work of artists of that time would have been completely lost.

Savitsky urged artists and their families to entrust their work to him. He hid them in Nukus, a city surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of desert.

This is a unique item on this list in that it tells what was hidden not so much from the outside world, but from the despotic regime. Although the question of the importance of creativity itself remains open, the value of the story of how creativity was kept secret for decades is beyond doubt.

4. Death of an astronaut

The Soviet Union more than once “erased” cosmonauts from its history. So, for example, data about the first astronaut who died during the space race was hidden. Valentin Bondarenko died during training in March 1961. Its existence in the West was not known until 1982, and public recognition followed only in 1986. The faint of heart should refrain from reading the next paragraph.

During the isolation exercise in the pressure chamber, Bondarenko made a fatal mistake. After removing the medical sensor and cleaning his skin with alcohol, he threw cotton wool on the hot stove he used to make his tea, causing it to burst into flames. When he tried to put out the fire with his sleeve, the 100% oxygen atmosphere caused his clothes to catch fire. It took several minutes for the door to open. By that time, the astronaut had received third-degree burns of his entire body, except for his feet - the only place where the doctor was able to find the blood vessels. The skin, hair and eyes of Bondarenko were burned. He whispered, "It hurts too much... do something to stop the pain." Sixteen hours later he died.

Denying this incident just to avoid bad news, was a very bad decision.

5. Mass famine is one of the worst in history

Many have heard about the famine (Holodomor) of 1932, but internal and external attempts to hide this fact are worthy of mention. In the early 1930s, politics Soviet Union led (whether intentionally or not) to the death of several million people.

It would seem that such a thing is difficult to hide from the outside world, but fortunately for Stalin and his subordinates, the rest of the world vacillated between deliberate ignorance and denial of the facts.

The New York Times, like the rest of the American press, covered up or downplayed the famine in the USSR. Stalin organized several prearranged tours for foreign commissions: the stores were filled with food, but anyone who dared to approach the store was arrested; the streets were washed and all the peasants were replaced by members of the communist party. H G Wells from England and George Bernard Shaw from Ireland said the rumors about the famine were unfounded. Moreover, after the French Prime Minister visited Ukraine, he described it as a "flowering garden."

By the time the results of the 1937 census were classified, the famine had already been overcome. Despite the fact that the number of victims of the famine is comparable to the Holocaust, the assessment of famine as a crime against humanity has been given only in the last ten years.

6. Katyn massacre

As with the 1932 famine, the international denial of the Katyn massacre earned these murders top spot on this list. In the 1940s, the NKVD killed more than 22,000 prisoners from Poland and buried them in mass graves. According to the official version, those responsible for this were fascist troops. The truth was only recognized in 1990. It was possible to hide the execution by the forces not only of the Soviet Union, but also with the help of the leaders of the United States and Great Britain.

Winston Churchill, in an informal conversation, confirmed that the execution was most likely carried out by the Bolsheviks, who "can be very cruel." However, he insisted that the Polish government in exile stop making accusations, impose censorship on its press, Churchill also helped prevent an independent investigation of the incident by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The British ambassador to Poland described it as "taking advantage of England's good reputation to cover up what the killers had hidden with pine needles". Franklin Roosevelt also did not want Stalin to be blamed for the executions.

Evidence that the US government knew about the true perpetrators of the Katyn massacre was suppressed during the 1952 parliamentary hearings. Moreover, the only government that spoke the truth about those events was the government of Nazi Germany. This is another sentence that can be read very infrequently.

It is easy to criticize the leaders of countries that actually let criminals go unpunished, but Germany, and then Japan, were more important issues, which means that it was sometimes necessary to take very complex decisions. The Soviet Union, with its military and industrial superpower, was necessary. “The government blames only the common enemy for these events,” wrote Churchill.

7. Ekranoplan

In 1966, an American spy satellite captured an unfinished Russian seaplane. The plane was larger than any aircraft that the United States possessed. It was so large that, according to experts, such a wingspan would not allow the aircraft to fly well. Even stranger was the fact that the plane's engines were much closer to the nose than to the wings. The Americans were puzzled and remained puzzled until the USSR collapsed 25 years later. The Caspian Sea Monster, as it was called then, was an ekranoplan - a vehicle that looks like a mixture of an airplane and a ship that flies just a few meters from the water.

Even the mention of the name of the device was forbidden to those who participated in its development, despite the fact that huge sums of money were allocated to the project. In the future, these devices, of course, were very useful. They could carry hundreds of soldiers or even several tanks at speeds of 500 km/h, while remaining unnoticed by radar. They are even more fuel efficient than the best modern cargo aircraft. The Soviet Union even built one such aircraft, 2.5 times the length of a Boeing 747, equipped with 8 jet engines and six nuclear warheads on the roof (what else can be installed on a jet tank delivery ship?)

8. Worst missile-related disaster ever

The disregard for health and safety was not limited to nuclear waste. On October 23, 1960, a new secret missile, the R-16, was being prepared for launch in the Soviet Union. Near the launcher, which contained a rocket using a new type of fuel, there were many specialists. The rocket has a leak nitric acid- the only right decision in this case, it was the beginning of the evacuation of all who were nearby.

However, instead, project commander Mitrofan Nedelin ordered the leak patched up. When the explosion occurred, everyone on the launch pad immediately died. The fireball was hot enough to melt the floor of the site, causing many who tried to escape to be stuck in place and burned alive. More than a hundred people died as a result of the incident. It remains the worst missile disaster in history.

Soviet propaganda immediately began its work. It was alleged that Nedelin died in a plane crash. Reports of the explosion were presented as rumors that swept the USSR. The first confirmation of the incident appeared only in 1989. To date, a monument has been erected dedicated to those who died in that disaster (but not to Nedelin himself). Although he officially remains a hero, those with any connection to the disaster remember him as the person responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people entrusted to him.

9. Smallpox outbreak (and containment program)

In 1948, a secret biological weapons laboratory was established in the Soviet Union on an island in the Aral Sea. The laboratory was engaged in the transformation of anthrax and bubonic plague into weapons. They also developed smallpox weapons and in 1971 even tested outdoors. By a mysterious coincidence, a weapon designed to cause a smallpox outbreak, when activated in the open, actually caused a smallpox outbreak. Ten people fell ill, three died. Hundreds of people were quarantined, and within 2 weeks, 50,000 people from nearby areas were vaccinated against smallpox.

The incident became widely known only in 2002. The outbreak was effectively contained, however, despite the scale of the incident, Moscow did not acknowledge what had happened. This is unfortunate, as valuable lessons could be learned from this case about what could happen if biological weapons ever fall into the hands of terrorists.

10. Dozens of cities

In the south of Russia there is a city that was not on any map. There were no bus lines that would stop in it, and no road signs confirming its existence. Postal addresses in it were listed as Chelyabinsk-65, although it was almost 100 kilometers from Chelyabinsk. Its current name - and despite the fact that tens of thousands of people lived in it, the existence of the city was unknown even in Russia until 1986. The secrecy was caused by the presence here of a plant for the processing of spent nuclear fuel. There was an explosion at this plant in 1957, but because of secrecy, the disaster was named after the city, which was located a few kilometers from Ozyorsk. This city was Kyshtym.

Ozersk is one of dozens of secret cities in the USSR. At the moment, 42 such cities are known, but it is believed that about 15 more cities are still under the cover of secrecy. The inhabitants of these cities were provided with better food, schools and comfortable conditions than the rest of the country. Those who still reside in such cities cling to their isolation - the few outsiders who are allowed to visit the cities are usually escorted by guards.

In an increasingly open and globalized world, many are leaving closed cities, and there is likely to be some limit to how long these cities can remain closed. However, many of these cities continue to fulfill their original function - whether it is the production of plutonium or the support of the navy.

Many events took place within the Soviet Union, the existence of which was carefully concealed. It is known that today the FSB hide the secrets of the USSR. The curiosity of people does not fade away, so more and more magazines make lists of the most mysterious events. The memoirs of former intelligence officers are considered especially valuable information.

Curiosity about this topic has spread to the West - the American magazine Foreign Policy published its rating of the mysterious events of the Soviet Union. The places in our rating are very conditional, since all events are shrouded in mystery, and it is impossible to assign a certain weight and degree of secrecy to one of them. Until now, the public does not know their reasons for the appearance and features within each. We present the Top 10 most secret secrets of the USSR.

1 Sea Monster

An American spy satellite spotted a Russian hydroplane in the Caspian Sea in 1966. The US government was puzzled, as the Russian vessel was much larger than conventional US aircraft. Studying the structure of the vessel, American experts concluded that the wing dimensions are too large to allow the aircraft to take off. The ship got its name "Sea Monster" because of its unusual structure: the aircraft's engines were located closer to the nose than to the wings. The Caspian monster looked like a mixture of a ship and an airplane. According to assumptions, the ship took off several meters from the water. In the USSR, it was even forbidden to pronounce the name of the mysterious ship. It was only known that huge sums of money were invested in the construction of the hydroplane. The military had high hopes for the new development - the ship could transport hundreds of military personnel, as well as reach speeds of 500 km per hour. The most important advantage of the Sea Monster was that, for all its size, it remained invisible to radar. In fact, a seaplane is not quite the right name for this vessel. Later, the Sea Monster received a different name - the ekranoplan. As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the curiosity of the American authorities to the new Russian development went out.

2. Party Gold

The fate of the gold and foreign exchange funds of the USSR excited the public in the 90s. The topic of the disappearance of the party's gold reserves was one of the most discussed. However, no one ever found out the truth. Even politicians took part in the search for party funds. Many politicians who, one way or another, were related to the "big money" of the party, were regularly called in for interrogations. It was not possible to obtain specific information, since almost everyone stated that the “Gold of the Party” was nothing more than a myth. Suspicions about impressive audit funds arose after the collapse of the USSR. One of the most popular versions is that the gold reserves of parties are kept in foreign accounts. The fund is rumored to be in the billions of dollars. However, the existence of these funds has not been proven to date.

Read:

3. Nuclear suitcase

The topic of portable nuclear devices was actively discussed in 1997-1998. ABOUT " nuclear suitcase” became known after the statement of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Alexander Lebed. He personally reported the loss of several portable missiles. Having fallen into the hands of terrorists, this weapon represented a world danger. The events in Russia in the first half of the 1990s weakened the economic and political situation in the country, as a result of which access to nuclear weapons was opened to the majority of the population. According to Alexei Arbatov, the existence of a nuclear suitcase is ambiguous. Until 1997, the topic of portable guns was not discussed. According to experts, this information refers to a very short period of time. Due to the lack of information, it cannot be considered reliable and can not be used as a verified source for further action. The first mention of portable weapons appeared in 1997. By all assumptions, nuclear warheads were seen in the possession of the Chechen government. A special commission was created, which managed to find 48 warheads out of 132. Thus, the fate of 84 portable devices remains unknown. Military experts assumed that portable nuclear devices were small in size, had little power, and in peacetime were stored in disassembled form.

4. Caribbean Crisis

The so-called "October crisis" occurred in 1962 as a result of a confrontation between the US and the USSR. The essence of the conflict was the secret movement of Russian military bases to Cuban territory. In 1961, the American authorities decided to deploy a medium-range missile, the Jupiter, in Turkey. According to experts, in the event of hostilities, missiles could reach the capital of the Soviet Union, as well as important industrial centers. As a readiness for these events, the Soviet authorities decided to deploy their military units in Cuba. This allowed the forces of the USSR to be ready for possible attacks. The American side was concerned about the deployment of Soviet missiles near the US coast. President John F. Kennedy organized a meeting of advisers to resolve the Caribbean conflict. Diplomatic methods of solution were immediately ruled out. Only military actions were welcomed. The advisors came to common decision: naval blockade or ultimatum. The Cuban Missile Crisis played the role of a turning point in the course of the Cold War. However, many are still wondering: "Why were Soviet military units stationed in Cuba?" The secrecy of this case lies in the fact that no one has been able to see the plausible protocols and official documents dated 1962. Perhaps, in order to remain the leader of the situation, sometimes you need to be smart and cunning.

Read:

5. Silence of Gorbachev

The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. However, Mikhail Gorbachev reported the tragedy only two weeks later. The April 27 issue of the Pravda newspaper wrote about a subbotnik organized in honor of Lenin's birthday. Unlike the Soviet media, Swedish newspapers published the news about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 28th. What were the Soviet authorities hiding? Why was the subbotnik much more important than the tragedy at Chernobyl? According to some versions, it is believed that the authorities did not have special devices in their arsenal that could measure the power of an atomic strike. The Soviet authorities turned out to be unprepared for such a tragedy, and even more so for admitting this failure. News about the subbotnik was published for several more days. Further news columns were dedicated to the celebration of May Day. And only on May 4, with a small headline in the newspapers Pravda and Trud, small notes about what happened at Chernobyl appeared. Though given event- a real tragedy, published it as "Visit to the area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant." It is worth noting that the Soviet authorities actively prevented the intervention of other countries. On May 5, the leadership of the USSR expressed gratitude to the countries that wanted to help, but emphasized that they were able to cope on their own. What is the reason for Gorbachev's silence? Why did the public learn about the tragedy only two weeks later, when foreign newspapers told about what had happened the very next day? The answers to these questions still remain unknown.

6. Operation "Flute"

The development of biological weapons was strictly prohibited. However, it was known that the Soviet authorities were secretly preparing for the coming biological warfare. The development of biological weapons was carried out by the KGB. According to the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the parties did not have the right to create such weapons. However, despite this, the Soviet authorities began work as early as 1926. The outbreak of any infection or epidemic immediately turned out to be under the cover of state secrets. Information about biological weapons was available to four persons - M. Gorbachev, D. Yatzov, V. Kryuchkov and L. Zaikov. The rest of the politicians were ordered not to worry. Society pinned its hopes on the witnesses of Operation Flute, but in response - silence. It was assumed that people who had access to classified information were not allowed to divulge it. Everything is explained by a certain signed document, which states that in the event of a leak of information, the perpetrator will be punished. The Soviet people were not destined to find out complete and reliable information. The KGB services carefully cleaned the archive and hid all documents that could give any information about the development of biological weapons.

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7. The fears of the Kremlin

Yuri Andropov is one of the most mysterious and enigmatic politicians of the Soviet government. It is still unknown how he managed to inherit the position of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In 1981, the KGB and the GRU were ordered to closely monitor all US military activities. An operation was organized during which intelligence was conducted about military exercises and weapons of the American side. Every detail was recorded by special services. Information about this intelligence is negligible. The question arises - were not the Soviet authorities afraid of a future war? Maybe, government wanted to be prepared for the unexpected.

8. Ural bunker

A secret military complex was discovered in the South Urals. The existence of the Ural bunker dates back to times cold war. According to the assumptions, the bunker plays the role of some kind of shelter in case nuclear war. Also, the underground complex serves as a base for the development of weapons. Curious tourists say that it is forbidden to light a fire, make noise near the bunker, and in general, it is not recommended to attract attention to yourself. The closed base is guarded. Armed soldiers and rangers are constantly on duty there. Any passerby they don't like is immediately subjected to interrogations. In fact, the Ural bunker is underground city. It is equipped with all communications. The city in the mountain is designed to accommodate 300 thousand people. Recently, current President Vladimir Putin has been visiting the secret complex in the Urals more and more often. When asked why the base was built, the president did not exactly answer. It is only known that construction has been going on since the Cold War, and the reasons are kept in strict confidence.

Read:

9. Defense budget

American intelligence agencies have been trying for a long time to calculate how much the Soviet authorities spent on the defense of the USSR. The CIA is confident that spending on defensive power accounted for at least 20% of the Soviet economy. The exact figures are unknown, but the fact that the military training of the USSR was at the highest level remains a fact.

10. Efficiency of intelligence of the USSR

This topic has excited the interest of American journalists for many years. The effectiveness of Soviet intelligence was studied by US intelligence agencies, but to no avail. It was not possible to find exact data on the amount of consumed and consumed raw materials. The American side only suggested that due to a lack of information, Soviet intelligence used materials from news newspapers. In the meantime, information about the activities of the intelligence of the USSR is banned. Curious American journalists never managed to find out the secret of the Soviet intelligence services. It has already been said before, and it was known that foreign journalists are looking for a catch in the facts in order to put Russia in a bad light. The Soviet authorities tried to carefully hide certain events from the public. Their number can only be assumed, because only a part of the secrets that are available as information to almost every citizen are described above.

In the Soviet Union, they knew how to keep secrets and loved them. So, in fact, it is easier to manage a country whose citizens live under the motto "the less you know - the better you sleep." Both glasnost and the subsequent collapse of the Land of Soviets could not break through half a century of armor of omissions and outright lies.

What, for example, was hidden behind the scenes of the Caribbean Crisis? Where did portable nuclear bombs come from in the Soviet Union? And the most interesting thing is where, in the end, did the billions from the untouchable reserve of “party gold” disappear?

Lunar program

By the 1960s, the USSR was leading the space race. The first satellite, the first animal, the first man - so how did it happen that the Americans still got to the moon? Until 1981, the Soviet Union generally denied the existence of a manned lunar program - until the Kosmos-434 satellite entered the atmosphere over Australia. Then I had to admit that it was an experimental spacecraft to the Moon, but no other details of the program are known so far.

Portable nuclear bomb

Rumors that the Soviet Union developed portable nuclear weapons turned out to be true. General Lebed of unforgettable memory let the Western press know that he had seen these nuclear devices. The so-called "nuclear satchel" RYA-6 weighing 25 kilograms and with a capacity of one kiloton was in service with the GRU.

Biological weapons

According to rumors, biological weapons appeared in the Land of the Soviets during the Second World War. Western experts still believe that in 1942, Soviet scientists infected German invaders with tularemia, which was carried by pre-infected rats.

Caribbean crisis

In 1962, several rounds of secret negotiations took place between Nikita Khrushchev, Raul Castro and Enresto Che Guevara. The results are well known to all: Cuba agreed to place nuclear weapons on its territory, but what could the leader of the USSR promise in exchange for such a risk?

Operation Flute

Everyone knows that the Americans conducted experiments on the use of psychotropic drugs on their soldiers. The head of the direction, scientists Ken Alibek, became a defector and led the development of psychotropic drugs already under the development of the KGB. Operation "Flute" took place in several stages: murders, abductions, re-recruitment were carried out with the use of the latest psychotropic drugs.

Last Impact Bunker

The secret underground bunker "Grotto" has been "shone" in the press more than once. Each time the existence of this dinosaur from the times of the USSR was explained differently - either uranium is being produced here, or a shelter for the government is being built. For a long time, the Americans believed (and maybe they were right) that the secret headquarters of the "retaliatory strike" missile-strategic forces was located here.

Party Gold

Probably the best kept secret of the post-Soviet period is the question of where the notorious "party gold" actually went. Huge, truly incredible amounts of money in gold remained with the Communist Party after the collapse of the USSR. And then they just vanished into thin air.

Classification system for classified information operating in Russian Federation currently, established by the Law of the Russian Federation "On State Secrets" No. 5485-1 dated July 21, 1993. This law, which has undergone several revisions, establishes a classification system, outlines the range of information that is and is not subject to classification, the procedure for classifying and declassifying, admitting persons to classified information, as well as measures used to protect state secrets.

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Classification system

According to Article 8 of the Law "On State Secrets", the level of secrecy of information must correspond to the severity of the damage that may be inflicted on the security of the state as a result of the dissemination of this information. Currently, there are three levels of secrecy and their corresponding secrecy labels: special importance, top secret, secret.

The attribution of secret information to one or another level of secrecy is regulated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 870 dated September 4, 1995 "On approval of the rules for classifying information constituting a state secret to various degrees of secrecy", which classifies information as follows:

• special importance: information of special importance should include information in the field of military, foreign policy, economic, scientific and technical, intelligence, counterintelligence and operational-search activities, the dissemination of which may harm the interests of the Russian Federation in one or more of the listed areas.
• top secret: top secret information should include information in the field of military, foreign policy, economic, scientific and technical, intelligence, counterintelligence and operational-search activities, the dissemination of which may harm the interests of the ministry (department) or the sector of the economy of the Russian Federation in one or more of the listed areas.
• secret: secret information should include all other information from among the information constituting a state secret. Damage to the security of the Russian Federation in this case is considered to be damage caused to the interests of an enterprise, institution or organization in the military, foreign policy, economic, scientific and technical, intelligence, counterintelligence or operational-search field of activity.

Media labeling

After attributing information to a certain level of secrecy, the following details are applied to information carriers containing state secrets:

• the degree of secrecy of the information contained in the carrier with reference to the relevant item of the list of information subject to classification in the given state authority, in the given enterprise, in the given institution and organization;
• information about the public authority, about the enterprise, about the institution, organization that carried out the classification of the medium;
• registration number;
• the date or conditions for declassifying information or about an event after which the information will be declassified.

In addition to these details, additional marks may be affixed on the carrier or in the accompanying documentation that determine the authority of officials to familiarize themselves with the information contained. The type and procedure for putting down additional marks and other details are determined by regulatory documents approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

If it is impossible to apply such details on the media itself, these data are indicated in the accompanying documentation for this media.

If the medium contains parts belonging to different degrees of secrecy, then each of these parts is assigned an appropriate secrecy rating, and the entire medium is assigned a secrecy rating corresponding to the highest grade of the parts of the media.

08.03.2016

Many events took place within the Soviet Union, the existence of which was carefully concealed. It is known that today the FSB hide the secrets of the USSR. The curiosity of people does not fade away, so more and more magazines make lists of the most mysterious events. The memoirs of former intelligence officers are considered especially valuable information. Curiosity about this topic has spread to the West - the American magazine Foreign Policy published its rating of the mysterious events of the Soviet Union. The places in our rating are very conditional, since all events are shrouded in mystery, and it is impossible to assign a certain weight and degree of secrecy to one of them. Until now, the public does not know their reasons for the appearance and features within each. We present the Top 10 most secret secrets of the USSR.

10 Sea Monster

An American spy satellite spotted a Russian hydroplane in the Caspian Sea in 1966. The US government was puzzled, as the Russian vessel was much larger than conventional US aircraft. Studying the structure of the vessel, American experts concluded that the wing dimensions are too large to allow the aircraft to take off. The ship got its name "Sea Monster" because of its unusual structure: the aircraft's engines were located closer to the nose than to the wings. The Caspian monster looked like a mixture of a ship and an airplane. According to assumptions, the ship took off several meters from the water. In the USSR, it was even forbidden to pronounce the name of the mysterious ship. It was only known that huge sums of money were invested in the construction of the hydroplane. The military had high hopes for the new development - the ship could transport hundreds of military personnel, as well as reach speeds of 500 km per hour. The most important advantage of the Sea Monster was that, for all its size, it remained invisible to radar. In fact, a seaplane is not quite the right name for this vessel. Later, the Sea Monster received a different name - the ekranoplan. As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the curiosity of the American authorities to the new Russian development went out.

9. Party Gold

The fate of the gold and foreign exchange funds of the USSR excited the public in the 90s. The topic of the disappearance of the party's gold reserves was one of the most discussed. However, no one ever found out the truth. Even politicians took part in the search for party funds. Many politicians who, one way or another, were related to the "big money" of the party, were regularly called in for interrogations. It was not possible to obtain specific information, since almost everyone stated that the “Gold of the Party” was nothing more than a myth. Suspicions about impressive audit funds arose after the collapse of the USSR. One of the most popular versions is that the gold reserves of parties are kept in foreign accounts. The fund is rumored to be in the billions of dollars. However, the existence of these funds has not been proven to date.

8. Nuclear suitcase

The topic of portable nuclear devices was actively discussed in 1997-1998. About the "nuclear suitcase" became known after the statement of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Alexander Lebed. He personally reported the loss of several portable missiles. Having fallen into the hands of terrorists, this weapon represented a world danger. The events in Russia in the first half of the 1990s weakened the economic and political situation in the country, as a result of which access to nuclear weapons was opened to the majority of the population. According to Alexei Arbatov, the existence of a nuclear suitcase is ambiguous. Until 1997, the topic of portable guns was not discussed. According to experts, this information refers to a very short period of time. Due to the lack of information, it cannot be considered reliable and can not be used as a verified source for further action. The first mention of portable weapons appeared in 1997. By all assumptions, nuclear warheads were seen in the possession of the Chechen government. A special commission was created, which managed to find 48 warheads out of 132. Thus, the fate of 84 portable devices remains unknown. Military experts assumed that portable nuclear devices were small in size, had little power, and in peacetime were stored in disassembled form.

7. Caribbean Crisis

The so-called "October crisis" occurred in 1962 as a result of a confrontation between the US and the USSR. The essence of the conflict was the secret movement of Russian military bases to Cuban territory. In 1961, the American authorities decided to deploy a medium-range missile, the Jupiter, in Turkey. According to experts, in the event of hostilities, missiles could reach the capital of the Soviet Union, as well as important industrial centers. As a readiness for these events, the Soviet authorities decided to deploy their military units in Cuba. This allowed the forces of the USSR to be ready for possible attacks. The American side was concerned about the deployment of Soviet missiles near the US coast. President John F. Kennedy organized a meeting of advisers to resolve the Caribbean conflict. Diplomatic methods of solution were immediately ruled out. Only military actions were welcomed. The advisers came to a common decision: a naval blockade or an ultimatum. The Cuban Missile Crisis played the role of a turning point in the course of the Cold War. However, many are still wondering: "Why were Soviet military units stationed in Cuba?" The secrecy of this case lies in the fact that no one has been able to see the plausible protocols and official documents dated 1962. Perhaps, in order to remain the leader of the situation, sometimes you need to be smart and cunning. A snapshot of the USSR military bases in Cuba:

6. Silence of Gorbachev

The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. However, Mikhail Gorbachev reported the tragedy only two weeks later. The April 27 issue of the Pravda newspaper wrote about a subbotnik organized in honor of Lenin's birthday. Unlike the Soviet media, Swedish newspapers published the news about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 28th. What were the Soviet authorities hiding? Why was the subbotnik much more important than the tragedy at Chernobyl? According to some versions, it is believed that the authorities did not have special devices in their arsenal that could measure the power of an atomic strike. The Soviet authorities turned out to be unprepared for such a tragedy, and even more so for admitting this failure. News about the subbotnik was published for several more days. Further news columns were dedicated to the celebration of May Day. And only on May 4, with a small headline in the newspapers Pravda and Trud, small notes about what happened at Chernobyl appeared. Despite the fact that this event is a real tragedy, it was published as "Visit to the area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant." It is worth noting that the Soviet authorities actively prevented the intervention of other countries. On May 5, the leadership of the USSR expressed gratitude to the countries that wanted to help, but emphasized that they were able to cope on their own. What is the reason for Gorbachev's silence? Why did the public learn about the tragedy only two weeks later, when foreign newspapers told about what had happened the very next day? The answers to these questions still remain unknown.

5. Operation "Flute"

The development of biological weapons was strictly prohibited. However, it was known that the Soviet authorities were secretly preparing for the coming biological warfare. The development of biological weapons was carried out by the KGB. According to the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the parties did not have the right to create such weapons. However, despite this, the Soviet authorities began work as early as 1926. The outbreak of any infection or epidemic immediately turned out to be under the cover of state secrets. Information about biological weapons was available to four persons - M. Gorbachev, D. Yatzov, V. Kryuchkov and L. Zaikov. The rest of the politicians were ordered not to worry. Society pinned its hopes on the witnesses of Operation Flute, but in response - silence. It was assumed that people who had access to classified information were not allowed to divulge it. Everything is explained by a certain signed document, which states that in the event of a leak of information, the perpetrator will be punished. The Soviet people were not destined to find out complete and reliable information. The KGB services carefully cleaned the archive and hid all documents that could give any information about the development of biological weapons.

4. The fears of the Kremlin

Yuri Andropov is one of the most mysterious and enigmatic politicians of the Soviet government. It is still unknown how he managed to inherit the position of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In 1981, the KGB and the GRU were ordered to closely monitor all US military activities. An operation was organized during which intelligence was conducted about military exercises and weapons of the American side. Every detail was recorded by special services. Information about this intelligence is negligible. The question arises - were not the Soviet authorities afraid of a future war? Perhaps the government wanted to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.

3. Ural bunker

A secret military complex was discovered in the South Urals. The existence of the Ural bunker dates back to the Cold War. Under assumptions, the bunker plays the role of some kind of shelter in the event of a nuclear war. Also, the underground complex serves as a base for the development of weapons. Curious tourists say that it is forbidden to light a fire, make noise near the bunker, and in general, it is not recommended to draw attention to yourself. The closed base is guarded. Armed soldiers and rangers are constantly on duty there. Any passerby they don't like is immediately subjected to interrogations. In fact, the Ural bunker is an underground city. It is equipped with all communications. The city in the mountain is designed to accommodate 300 thousand people. Recently, current President Vladimir Putin has been visiting the secret complex in the Urals more and more often. When asked why the base was built, the president did not exactly answer. It is only known that construction has been going on since the Cold War, and the reasons are kept in strict confidence.

2. Defense budget

American intelligence agencies have been trying for a long time to calculate how much the Soviet authorities spent on the defense of the USSR. The CIA is confident that spending on defensive power accounted for at least 20% of the Soviet economy. The exact figures are unknown, but the fact that the military training of the USSR was at the highest level remains a fact.

1. The effectiveness of Soviet intelligence

This topic has excited the interest of American journalists for many years. The effectiveness of Soviet intelligence was studied by US intelligence agencies, but to no avail. It was not possible to find exact data on the amount of consumed and consumed raw materials. The American side only suggested that due to a lack of information, Soviet intelligence used materials from news newspapers. In the meantime, information about the activities of the intelligence of the USSR is banned. Curious American journalists never managed to find out the secret of the Soviet intelligence services. It has already been said before, and it was known that foreign journalists are looking for a catch in the facts in order to put Russia in a bad light. The Soviet authorities tried to carefully hide certain events from the public. Their number can only be assumed, because only a part of the secrets that are available as information to almost every citizen are described above.

In our Top 10 most secret secrets of the USSR, those moments that we managed to learn about after a long time were also presented. One of the main rules Soviet authorities it was: if you were ordered not to take dirty linen out of the hut, then so be it.