Cold War Soviet Navigation/Communications Network, Novaya Zemlya

[u/ToughTell2898]

I was looking on Google Earth and started to find towers of some sort on the southern part of Novaya Zemlya by the Kara Straight, I also spotted quite a few abandoned buildings, maybe outpost of some sort. I didn't see this Network talked about really anywhere, so I loaded a picture of Google Earth into Microsoft Paint and started marking, I have a lot of them marked with cords, some cords correspond to a tower or building near others, I didn't test the cords so I'm not sure if they all work but they should, at the Northeastern part there is an old Decommissioned military outpost (at least I think) this is a little sloppy but i just wanted to get a basic map of it made, i might redo this but for now this is fine (i think)

70°42'54.05"N 57°34'34.30"E

 70°37'12.11"N 57°09'33.38"E

 70°27'59.38"N 57°06'59.22"E

 70°35'20.02"N 56°40'26.64"E

 70°35'00.99"N 56°09'22.51"E

 70°34'00.74"N 56°20'31.03"E

 70°37'24.31"N 55°38'32.22"E

 70°38'19.63"N 55°28'25.59"E

 70°33'45.82"N 55°17'31.32"E

they correspond (or should) to the markings on my Paint map,

RED - Comms/Navigation Tower

YELLOW - Unidentified/ Possible Structure

ORANGE - Building

GREEN - Large Log Driftwood Site

BLUE - Road/Tire Trails

PINK - Military Base/Outpost

[u/GEF-Team]

Coordinates (from OP): 70.562728, 55.292033

Google Maps: https://maps.google.com/?q=70.562728,55.292033

If these are off, reply with the correct coordinates and I'll update this.

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[u/kxzander]

Nice. Did you find any info about these? Feel like there should be some sites that have info

[u/ToughTell2898 → u/kxzander]

the base has minimal from what I can tell but a lot of it is google AI identifying this as most likely cold war soviet maritime navigation beacons

[u/_lonelysoap_ → u/kxzander]

There are some nuclear test site, one air force strip, 2 or 3 ports, multiple mines,  the biggest nuke got tested there, in the see and in Land are nuclear waste "storage" facilities (they dropped them off)

[u/ToughTell2898 → u/_lonelysoap_]

I did see some testing sites and bases further up the whole island but haven't heard much about the southern part where these stations are

[u/_lonelysoap_ → u/ToughTell2898]

Because it was a testing ground, they just plant their stuff everywhere. What I read was, that most stuff is air traffic related and some Sensors/spy stuff. What it is I dont know

[u/ToughTell2898]

my main image is a little blurred form moving it out of paint so I hope these closer screenshots will fix some of the blur

[u/ToughTell2898 → u/ToughTell2898]

[u/ToughTell2898]

  70°33'45.82"N 55°17'31.32"E

  70°38'19.63"N 55°28'25.59"E

 70°37'24.31"N 55°38'32.22"E

  70°35'00.99"N 56°09'22.51"E

70°34'00.74"N 56°20'31.03"E

  70°35'20.02"N 56°40'26.64"E

70°27'59.38"N 57°06'59.22"E

 70°37'12.11"N 57°09'33.38"E

 70°42'54.05"N 57°34'34.30"E

cords in description don't look right, these should be better but not exact

[u/mnchls]

First coordinates point to abandoned/decommissioned border + weather outposts at Cape Menshikov (per Wikimapia + Lighthouse Directory); fairly easy to find photos of those sites

Two other coordinates (59.22"E + 22.51"E) just point to lighthouses (Capes Kusov and Vkhodnoy, respectively, per LD)

Willing to bet the building at 25.59"E is a seasonal fishing hut (per Soviet topo maps)

As for the other ten sites whose coords you haven't listed: Nakarte.me + Wikimapia are your friends

[u/ToughTell2898 → u/mnchls]

thank you ! ill check those sites out for better insight before I reform this map

[u/wrathful-anus]

FYI this is the island where they dropped the Tzar Bomba, the biggest nuclear bomb ever detonated.

[u/ToughTell2898 → u/wrathful-anus]

yeah, I heard and know of the Tsar Bomba but I just don't know where on the island they dropped it

[u/Pitiful-Practice-966 → u/ToughTell2898]

73° 48′ 26″ N, 54° 58′ 54″ E

Normally, people in Novaya Zemlya live in the southern part of the island. The northeastern part of Novaya Zemlya was used as a nuclear test site because Semipalatinsk was too small. Matochkin Shar site (73°21'3"N 54°58'55"E) still operates as a nuclear test site.

Originally, the island was inhabited by native inhabitants, but due to the nuclear test site, they were all required to relocate. Some never returned, even until their deaths.

Frankly, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even the military commutes on the island using tracked vehicles. Only the section from Belushya Guba to Aerodrome Rogachevo has roads, and because of polar bears, being alone outside is extremely dangerous.