RUSSIAN WOMAN DISCOVERS A MYSTERIOUS HOLE IN AN ABANDONED SHED THAT LEADS HER INTO DEEP DARKNESS
We all have day-dreamed of saving our school from some disaster or some attack on the school once in our life. Have you ever thought about why we cooked up these impossible events inside our head? We all want an adventure in our lives. We get so tired of following the same daily routine on a loop that we need something that can take us out from this boring life. But not all of us are as lucky as this woman from Russia who loves to travel around and explore strange places and this time she found the most unbelievable place that held a very big secret for centuries. This story of her adventure would surely bring goosebumps. What was the place that she discovered and what did she find in that place? Get ready to be amazed…
Full Of Secrets
Russia is one place that is filled with mystery and secrets. Within the city, there are several spots which are inaccessible to the general public. This Russian woman has always found herself drawn towards places like where Russian used to builts rocket and nuclear reactors, derelict bunkers, and bomb shelters. But this time she discovered a place which was far more interesting than other places she has visited. But what she was able to discover inside that and how things turned up for her is the real mystery here.
Russia Born
Lana Sator lives in Moscow, Russia. And for the past 10 years, she has been exploring abandoned sites and buildings. This activity of urban exploration which is commonly referred to as urbex has been stated illegal in Russia. And why is that? Because it involves entering into private properties without permission. But Lana doesn’t care about it. For her, it is a hobby to explore places which are left abandoned for years. Her hobby led her to the scariest place she has ever seen.
Her Interview With Vice
Lana has a good followin on her Instagram where she keeps uploading the images to show her followers about the abandoned places she has visited. But what keeps her going? And what all she has to go through? Remember it’s illegal to trespass the private sites. But that hasn’t stopped her from visiting and later she was interviewed by the website Vice.
About Moscow Urbex
In the interview with the Vice over an email, they asked her what why she chose Moscow as her place to explore? To which Lana replied, “The Moscow region is saturated with industrial facilities. Property disputes, renovations, demolitions, and reconstructions are constantly taking place. New objects of interest appear often; old enterprises are being closed; hospitals and other institutions are being reorganised. It’s impossible to get bored here.” Indeed, it’s true. Because what she discovered was something extraordinary. She risked her life to bring it out in open in front of the people.
Other Amazing Explored Places
Just like this place Lana discovered, she has also discovered several other abandoned places that are really something to watch. “Bomb shelters and bunkers, unfinished nuclear power stations, and the underground state reserve granary. Almost all of the abandoned places are beautiful and attractive. Apart from asylums and shelters I love abandoned science labs, dead machinery, and factories,” Lana told Vice.
How To Find?
Vice asked her about the way she does things like, how does she find the places? Or how does she get to know where these abandoned places are? See, Russia isn’t small. It’s a very big spot on the globe. To this, she replied, “We have a rather big urbex community, and its members share locations. We also search using satellite maps, news, archives, and some reconstruction or demolition city tenders.”
It’s All About Time
Lana has been doing this urbex exploration for a while now. It has become like her second life. As she said, “it’s like a drug” for her. “At least once or twice a month. Maximum four or five nights a week. I need this process to be happy. It’s like a drug,” Lana told Vice.
How It All Started?
“Two situations in my childhood defined my future interest. At the age of 11, I found myself inside an old cement factory when I shortened my way home from my grandma’s. Then at 13, me and my mother were visiting a sanatorium in Abkhazia. Abkhazia was some years after the war: the landscape and exteriors looked fantastic; destroyed and forgotten. Houses and flats after fires, holes after shootings and explosions. Rusty and knocked-over trains, cars, trucks. All of this impressed me so much that I started to love abandonments, and after about a year I understood that a part of my soul needs them. At 16 I started to take pictures of the places that I visited,” Lana told Vice.
Riskiest Place
Obviously, these places are risky. Just imagine yourself entering these old buildings and all you have is you and a flashlight in your hand. “I think unfinished nuclear power stations and stopped particle accelerators were the riskiest abandoned objects, because they’re sometimes guarded almost as much as active ones. Visiting some active territories is a great risk because of cameras and security alarms,” told Lana to the website Vice.
A Solo Explorer
“We explore in a group. Sometimes the group divides, and I spend a few minutes face-to-face with the decay. I prefer to explore with guys that are older than me. Some have their own families, and the exploration is a kind of shadow life for them,” told Lana. But this time she was all alone in a place more scarier than other places she has ever visited.
A Community
According to Lana, Russia has a massive urbex community spread all over the country. Every member of the community keeps themselves busy in discovering some amazing places that people have no idea of their existence. But what is the reason behind the love for these places they find now and then? “I can’t say why it’s so big. Maybe because of soviet heritage and our love to former URRS. It’s a way of connecting to our history: touching it, feeling it,” Lana told the Vice.
But Isn’t It Illegal?
“Russia is a republic of fences. Sometimes they have holes or strange finishings. Sometimes we need to find a way of opening locked doors or windows with no destructions,” replied Lana. No doubt, Lana is living the most adventurous life.
Preparation Beforehand
“I don’t use any specific equipment—just flashlights, camera and tripod, and a rope-ladder. If there’s dust I take a respirator. If the object of interest has something nuclear in its past, I take a dosimeter. Also a bolt cutter, nippers, and adjustable wrench, for removing barbed wire and unlocking doors and windows,” said Lana.
The Energomash Factory
Lana got famous after she explored the Engeromash Factory. About that she said, “In December 2011 we spent five nights exploring its territory. Its fence was destroyed by some construction works. The first night we walked around the buildings outside, climbed the rooftops and towers, and looked inside the pool. The next night we went looking for a way to get inside. We found unlocked doors on the roof and fire escape, and examined one of the two test benches. A few more nights we returned to take pictures and found the entrance to the second test stand, as well as the factory museum and the bomb shelter. The bomb shelter was flooded and abandoned. I was impressed by the ascent to the tower: from the top there is a view of the whole enterprise. The company is engaged in testing space rocket engines, but there were no tests during our visits. We did not see any engines.”
Meeting With Russian Authorities
What Lana does is illegal in Russia. One can say, that if you don’t get caught you can’t prove the crime. But Lana has a blog and Instagram account solely for her urban exploration. When asked about is she has ever been contacted by the authorities, she replied, “They’ve made a couple of attempts to contact me, asking me to pay some fines for illegal infiltration or help with fixing holes in perimeters. Sometimes a policeman comes and asks reasons for my curiosity. I like the slogan “URBEX IS NOT A CRIME”, and tell them that of course I will try not to make more problems.”
The First Time
Nobody wants to get involved with the police. We are all peaceful citizens. But Lana, on the other hand, has this curiosity inside her that makes her do these amazing adventures. She tells about the first experience when Russian authorities visited her. “They didn’t know how to find me, so after the Energomash story they followed my Twitter. After I said that I was going back to Moscow, they were waiting for me in three airports. We met after the passport control, and they asked me if I am Lana Sator. I said yes, and followed them to the police office where we had a talk and I got a fine (the equivalent of five Australian dollars).”
The Drive
When asked about the drive for urban exploration she said, “Every week I spend some hours searching places to visit. The more I do this, the more I understand how extensive the possibilities are for further exploring. Our country has a great collection of historical relics and urbex heritage.”
There Is No Stop!
See, when you do something just for the sake of doing it then there are chances that one day you might stop and say, “enough” but when you do something that you love or enjoy doing it then there is no stop to that. When asked when she is going to stop? To this she replied, Maybe I’ll stop after starting my own family. If the authorities tell me to stop exploring inside of Russia, I’ll try to continue outside.” But let’s not stop here because the most amazing part of this story is still left. The discovery!
Discovery
Blogger Lana Sator loves the thrill in her life. She likes to walk around the city with a camera on her one shoulder and her eyes seeking for something that could give her the feeling of excitement. So when one of her friends suggested that there might be something of her interest in the middle of the forest that she should go and have a look she was all ready for that kind of adventure.
The Unexpected
After getting a lead on something worth her time, Lana was ready to make the move. Even though she was an experienced explorer she found herself in the middle of an unexplainable situation which took her by surprise. She wouldn’t have imagined that she would find her in a situation like this.
The Location
She was excited and ready to explore the place. She took the camera with her and was on her way to the Republic of Karelia which is near the border with Finland. She thought that if she is going that way then she would also meet her friend while making her way to check the deserted cabin. But that one stop changed everything for her.
One Little Stop
Lana made a shortstop and then her friend also decided to accompany her on this adventure to the deserted cabin. They both decided that they won’t stop for very long and it would just be a sort of sightseeing from a distance. The very first moment she saw the cabin she was filled with a strange feeling inside her. Her friend was speaking something to her but all she could hear was a sound which was coming from the inside of the cabin. What’s that sound? She wanted to know what was hidden inside the cabin?
Historic
Lana has explored several places. She has stepped inside a flooded power plant, an abandoned factory where Soviet rockets were once built, and forgotten iron foundry. As they say, good things never come easily to you, the same way, reaching to these places was never easy for Lana. She had to go through some really difficult obstacles.
The Obstacles
Reaching the location was never difficult for her. The difficult was the part where she had to move inside the location and exploring it. Just imagine yourself standing in front of the entrance and in front of you there is nothing but centuries-old darkness. The darkness is so dark that the path which you need to follow to get inside looks like a big black space that the only God knows holds what inside. Lana was actually living these feelings that day. Then she took the first step…
First Step…
Behind her was a space filled with light, trees waving at her as she was a champion of some sort, and her whole life. But in the front, there was complete darkness. What was that black darkness was holding for her she had no clue. Was there even any passage? She took the first step, a pause, her feet still some inches above the ground, she thought that this was a bad idea. She almost took her feet back where it was, but then she lost her balance and taking the step in the front was the only option.
Then Next, Next, Next…
Lana realized that behind her feet there was more land. She took the second, then third, then fourth, then she didn’t stop until she found out what this place actually was. The torch’s flashlight seemed like falling short because there was no end to the passage. She kept walking until she stumbled upon a shack.
The Shack
The shack she came across was a complete mess. You can actually make that there were weeds growing through the cracks of the wood. There was no door, so she moved inside the small cabin. Coming out from one darkness she was again inside new darkness. Now, what’s that?
A Hole In The Middle
Lana saw a hole in the middle of the cabin. She was confused because no way there could be a secret passage inside a cabin that was really deep. But how deep? Lana was more curious now. This was the first time she had no idea where she was going or where all of this would lead her. Her adventurous side was really excited but deep down she was afraid. But she knew if she returned now there was no way she could ever solve the mystery of the secret passage inside an abandoned shack.
The Dark
A camera in one hand and a torch in another she moved inside the hole with the help of old rusty stairs. The sound of old damp wood creaking was making each of her steps heavier and heavier. The air was alien to her. She felt like she shouldn’t breathe but then her lungs were quenching for air the same way we quench for water on a hot summer day.
A Strange World
It was an unknown surrounding for her. The hair on her arms was sensing the strangeness of the area. As she moved ahead there was nothing she could make of. Everything was quiet, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeats. She could hear cockroaches’ noise that was filling the atmosphere around her. Then she went further to solve the mystery which changed her life forever.
Noises
Lana has seen many tunnels in the past, but this tunnel was nothing like she has seen before. She was always excited to explore something new but this time her excitement was turned into worry. Questions like who built this tunnel? What was the purpose of this tunnel? Her mind was filled with these questions. But a sudden noise distracted her mind towards it. “Who is there?” she shouted.
Not Alone
She aimed the light towards the direction of the noise which she realized was getting louder. She groped the camera and the flashlight tightly in his hands, she was ready to fight any creature in the world. She was looking for the origin of the noise. Waving her hand in the black space, it was liking creating modern art with the flashlight. The light saw something. It was a rat. It was going in some direction and she knew how good a guide it is. She followed the rat.
Regrets
The Russian blogger followed the rat which she would lead her to somewhere. The temperature got colder with each step. She moved along the broken tracks alongside which broken tools were scattered around. Water trickled from the unstable wooden structure. She thought of going back. But she kept thinking what if there was something at the end of the tunnel. So, she kept walking.
What If?
Before she moved any further she stopped and was memorizing the turn she took to the point she was at that moment. She couldn’t shake the thought of leaving the place and call it quits. She spotted something which was something to worry about.
Bunker
She didn’t notice that the path she was following was completely frozen until she slipped. The passage would have been perfect for skating that was no time for thinking something like that. She had to decide what she was gonna do next. She stood up. And without giving it a thought she moved further. Something was about to change.
Findings
After crossing the ice track she found herself into a large space which was filled with old tracks, tools, machinery, and carts. She knew what it was. An abandoned mine. She was relieved to find that at last, she has solved the mystery. Her heart was now beating faster due to the excitement of solving the puzzle that almost made her quit the idea. Thankfully, she didn’t. It was an old abandoned mine.
Along The Tracks
Now, when she knew where she was, her confidence was back now. She could actually explore the area much further. She moved along the tracks slowly. She didn’t touch any of the structure as the mine was old and who knows what could have happened any moment in a place like this. She kept her distance.
About The Mine
It was mine for sure. But when was it in use? Who built it and for what? She knew that she won’t be able to find answers here as there was no possible way to tell what purpose this mine fulfilled in the past. This huge area where she was standing must have been the center of the mine. That much was clear to her and the tools which were left told her that they were very old.
Returning Back
Finally, Lana decided to call it a day off. She had all the adventure for the day. Now, all she wanted is to go back to the safe place, home. But that seemed like an easy task but wasn’t. She soon found herself in the middle of another problem. She forgot the turns.
Before Leaving
Before she left the tunnel she took out her camera to capture some of the images of the tunnel she discovered to tell the world about its existence. It’s a fact that people forget about old things as time passes by. But adventurous people like Lana are there for us to show some hidden places that were lost in time.
Photographs Talk
Lana clicked several pictures of the tunnel which told her different stories with every click. From every angle, there was something defining about the place. As they say, pictures talk to us. This place was also speaking to her. Telling her about its feeling of left behind with no human touch. People used to work in this tunnel. But now, it was like, it didn’t exist.
Deadly Tunnels
Lana was now moving back to where she had started. She avoided the structure of the tunnel. Being an experienced explorer has explored many tunnels and she knew how life-threating they can be if not taken care of properly. She was aware of the news where people got stuck inside an old tunnel when they touched or stepped on something wrong.
Frozen Bunker
You can see those frozen spikes in the picture. Lana realized that this could have been one of the reasons why people left the mine and abandoned it for good. The leakage would have turned the laborers move out of the space as early as possible before any catastrophic situation happened.
Indeed Catastrophic
Lana spotted several dead ends which in the middle of the path which told her that the water would have made the structure weak and when the structure wasn’t able to hold it, it would have destroyed the upper foundation of the tunnel and in the harsh weather, the water must have frozen. It was time for her to leave the space. Not that easy though!
Problems
Lana was now struggling with a major problem. Every tunnel looked exactly the same to her and it was getting really confusing which tunnel to take to exit the place. She stood there for a while to calm herself. Her heart wasn’t listening to her. It kept beating as if there was no tomorrow and for a moment she was feeling the same way.
Exit Way
She didn’t realize that she has been standing for a while now and that she needs to get a hold of herself. Still, there was nothing which could help her choose which tunnel to take that could lead her out of it. She felt like a stranger amidst nothing. She felt like running out of there but that wasn’t an option because she had no idea of the way she should make a run for.
She Remembered
She was holding the camera and the flashlight when something clicked. The photos! She remembered that she took lots of photos while she was coming this way. She took out the camera, going through each and every photo closely she realized that it was a useless idea. Even the photos couldn’t tell her which way to go.
Only One Way
Just like in the start when she accidentally made the first step inside the mine the same way she started walking. She closed her eyes and then opened it. Thought of what her gut feeling was telling her and she started walking. She walked and walked and walked. Stop. She didn’t move. She saw something.
To The Up
Lana stopped. It was more of a sudden halt the same halt we sometimes experience when we are on a train or a bus. She pointed the flashlight at something. Stairs. Old rusty stairs that were going up. She knew she had finally found the way to reach to the top. She rushed towards the stairs and didn’t stop until it showed her light.
Going Viral
Once Lana shared the photos of an abandoned mine and her experience around it with her followers, her story was viral. Just like Lana, people were also wondering about the purpose the mine fulfilled in the past. Some said the mine was built for the excavation of the coal, vanadium, iron or maybe even diamonds. Nobody can say anything for sure except one thing. What Lana did was something badass.
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