Stalin's Bunker

Wonder who that is?

This past Wednesday, we had an excursion taht counded as though it would be one of the best thusfar - we were going to visit Stalin's underground bunker near Ismailovo.

It was a little bit colder than usual, and since we were meeting at the school, we were going be experiencing the cold as a group. We got together at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and set off for the metro. We went to the station about Ismailovo, crossed some streets and got to some run-down alley that ended with a big iron gate. Through the gate was a large snowy area with three tanks on a ridge.

Some war uniforms near the beginning of the bunker.

We walked down some stairs up to a door and Lena talked with a guy who looked a hell of a lot like Vladimir Putin himself. We went in, put our hats and coats up, and started to wader around the entrance hall. At the end of the hall was a large, circular table, with a good 30 or so chairs. In the middle is a circle area where someone would speak (the acoustics in the middle are incredible - it sounds like you're in one of those trippy 70s music videos.

Putin gave us a quick history lecture, which would turn out to be my favorite part of the whole thing. Why? Because he told us some stuff about WW2 from Russia's perspective. I'd always been told that the reason for Germany's defeat in Russia was simply the incredible cold. Wrong. As it turns out, Russia knew that Japan was focusing its forces on China and on the United States. With this information, Russian took a gamble and moved all of the troops from Siberia to Moscow. When the Germans got to Moscow, they met a force much, much larger than they could have possibly expected. Hence, their defeat. Of course the cold played a role, but it was about the third most important factor.

After that, Putin led us into Stalin's personal office, in which there was, of course, a large bust of the man himself, as well as a desk (with a revolving bookshelf next to the desk), a large map detailing the current WW2 situation, and a big chess-like game for four people.

Stalin's like...chess-like game. Each piece is a kind of vehicle.

Here Putin explained that it was not Stalin who explained to the Russian people that they were at war with Germany - he was too shocked that someone (Hitler) would break their word. Georgian culture dictated that when a man gives his word, he must keep it. Hitler didn't, Stalin was shocked, and the man who originally negotiated with Germany delivered the news while Stalin recovered.

"I can't keep the people from loving me."

The last room we got to see (there is much more to the bunker, but Putin said that the majority of it is dark and wet) was a bar-type room. There were barrels lining the room and Georgian banners (Stalin was Georgian) along the ceiling. In cases along the wall closest to the door was all kinds of Stalin stuff.

Stalin stuff.

Most interesting was a skiny medal replica covered in what would have been diamonds. This was a mark of the allied victory. Stalin got two of them.

The replica of the victory medal. Apparently the real ones were all platinum with diamonds and stuff.

It was only after we left that I learned that Nathan had gone around picking things up and going into rooms he wasn't supposed to when Putin wasn't looking. He's got a picture of himself in a WW2 helmet with an AK-47 in his hands that I'm sure our guide wouldn't like. Oh well. Maybe some day I'll go back and see a soccer game in the stadium that was build to disguise the bunker. Maybe.

Nathan's equipment