VLADIVOSTOK UNDERWORLDS

Vladivostok was the stronghold of the tsars and the position of the Soviet Union. Built as a military base with an imperative battle name ("владе́ть Восто́к!" - "Dominate the East!"), the city on the Pacific was prepared for defence against China, Japan, Korea and the USA. Forts, bunkers and a network of underground tunnels meander through the hills around Vladivostok and the offshore island of Russky. With gigantic amounts of concrete and money, ever more sophisticated rings of fortifications surrounded the cannon-fuelled city. First the Tsar, then the Soviets. The end of the Cold War also seemed to be the end for Vladivostok. But the position on the Pazfik has long since changed its image.