A close friend was working in Russia a couple of decades ago.
A Russian accomplice and he were able to get on base. He used a fake KGB card to bluff his way in.
It does not mean much, but it is a data point.
A Russian accomplice and he were able to get on base. He used a fake KGB card to bluff his way in.
I worked with a guy who grew up in Poland, back in the '60s.
He told me that in his town, a huge Soviet air base had been built. It was completely surrounded by a fence made of concrete, huge. Like the wall of a prison, ten meters high or so, all the way around.
But the concrete was of very poor quality, and the children in the town found places were the wall had crumbled away, with holes big enough for them to walk right through.
So he and his school friends made good money sneaking food treats into the base and selling them to the Russians who worked there, including some officers. Sausages, candy, cigarettes.
He said the Russians were very nice to them, knew them by name. Treated them with kindness and affection. They probably missed their own kids back home.
He also told me an amazing story. He said he and some other boys were exploring deep in the woods near their town. Suddenly the ground began to shake, and there was a huge roar. A jet fighter plane flew out of the woods, from among the trees, and disappeared from sight.
He said the USSR had built an underground runway under the forest, with a huge doorway that was normally closed and camouflaged to look like trees and earth. Wouldn't show up on a satellite picture.