Dig down Stalin-era bunkers dusted off

Although a missile attack deep into Russia is unlikely, historic bomb shelters are being made ready for use

- Andrew Roth

Less than two years ago, Object No 2, a gigantic bomb shelter underneath the city of Samara's Kuybyshev Square, was being considered by officials for transformation into a museum.

The design and decor of the 1940s shelter-built about 40 metres underground, with office furniture and details from the pre-nuclear age would have been a logical addition to the city's subterranean attractions. As the Soviet Union's reserve capital city during the second world war, Samara sits on top of a huge complex of underground bunkers, of which Object No 2 is thought to be one of the largest.

Photos of Object No 2 show a seemingly endless corridor with benches for hundreds of officials to sit out bombardment or chemical attack. Original elements, such as electrical shielding made of marble, have been preserved.

But with the invasion of Ukraine and an order by Vladimir Putin to start civil defence preparation, thousands of Russian bomb shelters are being reviewed for renovation in the unlikely - but no longer unthinkable possibility of missile strikes on Russia.