In the early 1970s, the Soviets detonated three bombs in the Perm region. Their power was three times greater than the power of the atomic bomb that the Americans dropped on Japan.
It has been 79 years since the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese who were suffering at the time did not forget the unprecedented tragedy.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki still have high levels of radiation and babies are born with birth defects.
Humanity did not draw sufficient consequences from the Second World War and the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After that there were many wars in the world. Armed conflicts and wars continue today.
Moreover, in the second half of the last century, about a dozen countries acquired nuclear weapons, which is also the most serious threat to the globe.
Among the countries with nuclear weapons, the USSR stood out. This country conducted atomic bomb tests many times in the 1960s and 1970s.
In addition, during the implementation of various projects, he used atomic bombs without taking into account the health of his citizens and the unusability of the territory.
Let’s not go too far, even on the territory of Uzbekistan, an atomic bomb was used twice to control the gas field. The first was in 1966, when an atomic bomb was detonated while inspecting the Ortabulok gas field in the Bukhara region, and the second was in 1967 while inspecting the Pamuq gas field in the Kashkadarya region.
In total, from 1965 to 1988, atomic bombs were detonated in the USSR 124 times for peaceful purposes and for the implementation of various projects.
Of these, 117 explosions were carried out outside special landfills, in places close to residential areas. The Soviets conducted these explosions as part of the “Nuclear Explosions for the Economy” program.
Including:
- in Russia – 80;
- in Kazakhstan – 39;
- in Ukraine – 2;
- in Uzbekistan – 2;
- 1 atomic bomb was detonated in Turkmenistan.
The detonation of the atomic bombs was kept secret from the public in order not to cause panic among the population and spread the news in foreign mass media.
However, due to the earthquakes that occurred during the explosion and the radiation waves that spread around, most of them were known to the international community.
One of these cases was the detonation of an atomic bomb as part of Project Taiga. At that time, it was planned to use atomic bombs to connect the rivers Pechora and Kolva (a tributary of the Kama). After three explosions, these works were stopped under pressure from European countries and international organizations.
“Taiga” project.
In fact, it all started in the 1960s, when a cotton monopoly was on the rise in Uzbekistan. After the development of the deserts in Uzbekistan and the surrounding republics, many canals will be built from the Amudarya and Syrdarya to the cotton fields. As a result, water does not reach the island and the sea dries up.
On the other hand, due to the construction of many reservoirs on the Volga River, the amount of water flowing into the Caspian Sea will also decrease.
Then the Soviets plan to drain the rivers of Siberia and the Urals into Central Asia. Part of the water was supposed to flow into the Caspian Sea and another part into the Aral Sea.
First, it is intended to connect the Kama and Pechora rivers, bringing water from the Pechora to the Caspian Sea via the Volga River. After this project was completed, a canal had to be dug in the deserts of Kazakhstan to drain the Irtysh River into the Aral Sea.
However, doing these things was not easy. In order to connect the Kama and Pechora rivers, it would be necessary to spend a lot of money and manpower to dig a canal for a distance of several hundred km and several thousand km across Kazakhstan. Digging the canal also took a long time.
The Soviets decide to dig the canal with an atomic bomb to get the job done faster and cheaper. These works will begin with the construction of a canal connecting the rivers Kama and Pechora, and it is planned to detonate more than 200 atomic bombs here.
On March 23, 1971, three atomic bombs were buried and exploded near the village of Vasyukovo, Cherdinsky District, Perm Oblast.
Each of the bombs contained a 15-kiloton nuclear warhead, nearly three times the power of the 15-kiloton atomic bomb dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima.
The bombs are placed 200 meters apart and are detonated simultaneously. As a result, a lake with a length of 700 meters, a width of 380 meters and a depth of 10-15 meters appears.
During the explosion, the soil on the surface rises 300 meters and the dust from it rises to a height of 1800 meters and is scattered around the area.
Later, witnesses of the event said that after a loud rumble, the ground shook violently, and first fire and then dust rose to the sky from the epicenter.
After the successful execution of the first explosion, the Soviets began to prepare for further explosions. However, this will not work.
The radiation wave of atomic bombs exploded in the Perm region will hit Europe. For example, the radiation wave from the atomic bomb explosion in Perm is also detected in Sweden.
After that, European countries and other international organizations immediately demand that the USSR abide by the terms of the agreement signed in Moscow in 1963.
For reference, on August 5, 1963, representatives of the USSR, the USA and Britain signed the Treaty “On the Prohibition of the Transfer of Nuclear Weapons into the Atmosphere, Outer Space and Under Water” in Moscow.
Many countries of the world will soon join and sign and ratify this agreement. The agreement entered into force on October 10, 1963. Currently, 131 countries have ratified this agreement.
Consequences of a nuclear explosion
The Soviets abandon the plan to open the canal by detonating atomic bombs, after a legitimate objection from the Europeans. The area opened by the explosion is filled with water and turns into a lake.
The radiation waves then spread over a very large area and cause great damage to nature, animals and people living in the area.
The water in the lake, which was a source of radiation, was very dangerous for the surrounding fauna. Because of this, he will soon be surrounded by a fence. The signs “Dangerous area, no entry”, “Caution, radiation” will be posted on the fence, and the army will start guarding the object.
Later, the army stops guarding the lake. After that, the part of the barrier that is neglected becomes unusable. Forest animals and people living in the area begin to cross the lake.
People knew that the water in the lake was saturated with radiation, but the animals that drank it died.
Today, the lake formed after a nuclear explosion is called a “nuclear lake” and contains water poisoned by radiation. Several species of fish live in the lake.
In fact, it is impossible to get close to Lake Yadro and its surroundings. However, the people living in the area fish from the lake and collect mushrooms from the forests. Others collect scrap from atomic bombs and barriers.
Although Lake Yadro is off limits, there has been a slight increase in travel in Russia in recent years. Tour operators even rent old helicopters and take tourists to Lake Yadro.
In 2024, a group of Russian experts will measure the amount of radiation in different areas of the Perm region. Then it is determined that the amount of radiation in the city of Perm is higher than in the nuclear lake that appeared at the center of the explosion.
Prepared by Zeal Yoldosh.
