Nuclear warhead storage (hangar) in Plokštinė
Infrastructure

On December 31, 1962, one of the first underground R-12 ballistic missile launch complexes in the Soviet Union, Dvina, began operating in the Plokštīne forests (Plungė district).

From 1963 to 1978, the complex housed 4 medium-range ballistic missiles R12 (SS-4 Sandal), armed with thermonuclear warheads with a yield of 2.3 megatons. All missiles were aimed at Western European countries. This complex, together with ground-based launch bases for similar missiles, formed a single Soviet nuclear weapons group in Lithuania, capable of destroying all of Europe. During the 16 years of operation of the complex, not a single missile was launched, although in 1968, during the Prague Spring, military readiness was declared.

Approximately 0.5 km from the R-12 Dvina nuclear missile launch base, a military camp and a nuclear warhead storage facility (hangar) were built. Very little is known about the purpose of the hangar. It is believed that there were repair shops and a cargo yard here, as well as a hangar where the R-12 thermonuclear missile warheads were probably stored. The hangar is a huge, approximately 60 m long concrete building, covered with a layer of earth on the outside and hidden among the forests.

Currently, the building, like the entire former underground missile launch base, belongs to the Samogitian National Park Directorate. The object is not open to visitors. It cannot be viewed from the inside. However, the building can be viewed from the outside without prior reservation.