Damage to the Irbene radio telescopes

There is a version that there was a plan to blow them up when they left, but after protests from radio astronomers and scientists, they remained intact /there are two contradictory versions about the blow-up – according to one, the military wanted to do it, according to the other – the Latvian takeover of the military base. Perhaps, fearing that the ones who left might plan to return soon.../. It is true that when they left, the military damaged the antenna systems as they always do – nails were driven into the cables, electric motors were doused with acid, and control units were rendered unusable.