Primorski Krai: Russky Island – Voroshilov Battery
Just off the coast of Vladivostok lies Russky Island connected to the mainland by Russky Bridge, an engineering marvel that opened in 2014 and is the longest cable bridge in the world (it’s featured on the Russian 2,000 ruble banknote). The island was heavily fortified since late 1800s as tsarist Russia and Japan fought multiple wars and the island was the strategic defense unit against any Japanese attack on Vladivostok. Back in 1913, a series of 108mm-gun artillery batteries were constructed along the perimeter. In 1934, the Soviets constructed an immense 305mm-gun turret battery named after Voroshilov with a range of 40km (largest in the world at the time) to repel any potential Japanese attack. The guns were never used in battle and since 1992 are a museum. You can pretty much explore it in and out – the turrets are 3-storey deep and the guns are just enormous!
