USSR – Tank graveyard, Afghanistan – amazing pictures

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Amazing pictures of hidden Soviet tank ‘graveyard’ in Ukraine taken by plucky teenager

WITH Russia’s superior military invading Crimea, maybe now is the time the Ukrainian government dusted off these tanks in a forgotten military graveyard.

.Row upon row of Soviet tanksRow upon row of Soviet tanks [CATERS]
Row upon row of the Soviet-era war machines lie dormant in a Kharkov – about 300 miles east of the Ukrainian capital Kiev and less than 30 miles from Russia’s western border.These photographs were taken by intrepid explorer Patvel Itkin, 18, who after hearing about the strange Soviet cemetery from a friend spent months trying find its whereabouts.

Despite the disused area being monitored by guards, the spirited snapper managed to sneak in and document the neglected necropolis.

Once a thriving tank repair plant, the depot has since become redundant, meaning the bulky vehicles now remain abandoned.

 The tanks have fallen into disrepair [CATERS]
 Patvel Itkin on top of one of the tanks [CATERS]

Once I got inside I was walking around the grounds for about two hours, the plant is stunning, I was amazed by the scale.

Patvel Itkin

Pavel said “It took me many months to track down this place, I had heard about it from a friend and decided it would be a great place to take pictures.”The area is guarded but there didn’t seem to be anyone around when I got there, I guess I was just lucky.

“Once I got inside I was walking around the grounds for about two hours, the plant is stunning, I was amazed by the scale.”

 Patvel Itkin managed to get in to graveyard even though it is normally guarded [CATERS]

 Patvel Itkin estimated there are more than 400 tanks in the graveyard [CATERS]
He added: “Just imagine over 400 tanks in one place, row after row of them.”During its prime the plant repaired more than 60 tanks and more than 55 engines per month, but now the tanks just sit there unused.”

Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union until it declared independence in 1991.