Soviet military unit on Ruhnu

From left to right: an altitude measuring radar PRV-16, a short-range radar НРЗ 73Е6, and a long-range radar station P-14 F.

Soviet military unit on Ruhnu. The radio-technical military unit of the Soviet Air Defence Forces (Войска ПВО СССР) was located on Ruhnu Island, more specifically it was the 28th (59th) single radio determination company of the 4th radio-technical brigade. The radar position of the unit was close to Pärsi Cape, north and south (Holma plague cemetary) of the radar station were barracks. In 1989, the unit had a long-range radar station P-14 F (NATO reporting name Tall King), the operating radius  of which is up to 400 km and operating height 65,000 m, width of the parabole 32 m and height 11m; and a short-range radar НРЗ 73Е6 the purpose of which was to determine who the target belonged to (own or stranger identification system) and an altitude measuring radar PRV-16 (NATO reporting name Thin Skin) the purpose of which was to determine the exact height of the target.

The military unit personnel was made up of about 10 officers and their families, and 40 soldiers. This unit located on a secluded island was known as an expulsion destination.  Military personnel caught breaking order elsewhere were sent to serve there.

The last Soviet soldier left Ruhnu 23. XII 1992. Russian military left behind a couple of hectares of polluted land, heaps of unusable military equipment, and the radar position and barracks that were by then in ruins.

Created in 2013