Most believable place where Soviets would plan destructible weapons

Just a thought, silly as it might be... When I research anything--no matter how small or specific the subject--I ALWAYS encounter many other tidbits of information I would have never thought to investigate otherwise. For every answer someone just supplies without you looking into it further, there are a hundred things you'll never discover that would really help your story and give you ideas.

Reason is, as someone looks up a subject for you, they're just trying to answer your specific question. But, as you read through that same found link, you'll spot things that really apply to your story, no one else would consider. So, your story can either grow a single fact at a time, or by hundreds of facts at a time.

Just something to consider,

K2
 
Ural mountains is the right place

What he said. There actually were whole secret cities, not marked on any map, totally dedicated to the nuclear and chemical weapons research and production - Sverdlovsk-44, Sverdlovsk-45, Snezhinsk, not to mention countless secret army sites. As for Moldova, it seem dubious, because this small republic is pretty tightly populated and there are not too many deserted places in there. Romania, on the other hand, have a lot of quite wild mountain areas, the only problem is that relations with the USSR at that time were really tense. Personally I have been in three former USSR secret sites - two rocket launching and radar stations in my home country, Estonia (both located on the populated, but pretty wild islands, access to which was restricted at the Soviet times) and the submarine base in Crimea, built inside the mountain and able to sustain direct nuclear hit up to 100 kilotons. By the way, its really not that far from Romania - just across the Black Sea. I must also add that this one was, though now totally abandoned, quite astonishing, it was like getting into one of the James Bond movie-style ArchEnemy superbase.

But would Soviets from Russia been allowed to create secret weapons there?
Don't forget that Moldova WAS the part of USSR, so if USSR leader decide to build whatever there, there were no choices but to build it.
 
On a vast ship somewhere just off the coast of the Soviet Union, say North Pacific, or perhaps near Murmansk. (Or anywhere near the Soviet Union where you like!)

A ship 'doomsday' bomb. Set to go off if the Soviet Union was losing the war. So large it would wipe out all life on the planet. Also automated, so that no human could interfere with it's operation. (Hey, perhaps it goes a bit 'skynet'?)

Was actually suggested in the 1950s, I believe. See this little titbit:


Thankfully the Soviets of our reality refused to go ahead with it. But in your fictional reality...
 
But, as you read through that same found link, you'll spot things that really apply to your story, no one else would consider. So, your story can either grow a single fact at a time, or by hundreds of facts at a time.

I agree entirely. It's really the things that are difficult for me to find the proper information on is when I start to try and get more facts. But generally, if I get the information I'm looking for I will then expand on some of those ideas from the research myself and the story just fills itself for me that others probably would not of considered cause only I can determine that.

What he said. There actually were whole secret cities, not marked on any map, totally dedicated to the nuclear and chemical weapons research and production - Sverdlovsk-44, Sverdlovsk-45, Snezhinsk, not to mention countless secret army sites. As for Moldova, it seem dubious, because this small republic is pretty tightly populated and there are not too many deserted places in there. Romania, on the other hand, have a lot of quite wild mountain areas, the only problem is that relations with the USSR at that time were really tense. Personally I have been in three former USSR secret sites - two rocket launching and radar stations in my home country, Estonia (both located on the populated, but pretty wild islands, access to which was restricted at the Soviet times) and the submarine base in Crimea, built inside the mountain and able to sustain direct nuclear hit up to 100 kilotons. By the way, its really not that far from Romania - just across the Black Sea. I must also add that this one was, though now totally abandoned, quite astonishing, it was like getting into one of the James Bond movie-style ArchEnemy superbase.

This really helps a lot! I was looking more into Crimea and considering it's close by to Romania, it would make a great setting for having the Soviets conducting secret projects at the time and fits perfectly for a spy mission I have planned! This along with the Ural Mountains is another good setting.

Also, this may seem a little out of the blue, but I was going to have a few of the Russian bad guys, well one of the main bad guys is a big tall, muscular guy with blonde hair. Now I know that might sound kind of like some common Russian villains like Ivan from Rocky IV and The Russian from The Punisher, but he wouldn't exactly look like them, just those slight similarities. Nothing wrong with that right?

And I was thinking of this being set in 1963, a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis but I was also thinking of this being set a year after the assassination of JFK and be in 1964. Which was the greater height of fear against the Soviets?

Don't forget that Moldova WAS the part of USSR, so if USSR leader decide to build whatever there, there were no choices but to build it.

I'm keeping this one as an option too ;)
 
Also, this may seem a little out of the blue, but I was going to have a few of the Russian bad guys, well one of the main bad guys is a big tall, muscular guy with blonde hair. Now I know that might sound kind of like some common Russian villains like Ivan from Rocky IV and The Russian from The Punisher, but he wouldn't exactly look like them, just those slight similarities. Nothing wrong with that right?

Well, if you want to go easy way, it's up to you of course, but you should take several thing into consideration. First, there were not only Russians living in the USSR, but the whole lot of nationalities. Stalin was from Georgia, for one (his real name was Besarionis dze Jugashvili). You can, of course, call all inhabitants of former USSR "russians" but that's just plainly wrong, and in some countries can now be even looked upon as insult. Technically even Lenin himself probably was not Russian but rather from one of the ethnical minorities. Second, the Russians themselves (or should I say ourselves, as I have at least half of Russian blood) come in all shapes and sizes. My father, for example, has as Russian origin as it could be possible, and he has black hair, rather medium height (around 170 something) and narrow eyes.

Generally I have nothing against putting up Russians as main bad guys (you need somebody for this role, and I must assure you that American or British bad guys are really in abundance in the modern Russian literature, so we are maintaining the balance here). Thing is, I would really like anybody writing such stuff to put a little more character and diversity into the Russians in his novel (or short story, or even a poem) rather than going with common "cartoonish" descriptions. You can make us as evil as you wish to, but please don't make us look like the clones of each other )

And I was thinking of this being set in 1963, a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis but I was also thinking of this being set a year after the assassination of JFK and be in 1964. Which was the greater height of fear against the Soviets?

Sorry, but I was born after those years, so I can't really tell you much more than you can find via regular research in the net )

By the way, if you need any other knowledge about USSR, feel free to ask, I will help with what I can. Otherwise you might end up with something very far from reality (especially in details), and even in the fiction book you wouldn't want to do that )))
 
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I suggest the keels of private yachts leased by the Soviets to members of a radical Islamic group that wants to remove the US from the scene so Egypt, Syria and Jordan can invade Israel. The yachts are to detonate simultaneously in all major US harbours, especially those with US carriers, and some keels are modified torpedoes that can be fired at US carriers at sea before detonating. With the US coastline trashed and half the US fleet out of commission, Israel becomes a very low-priority topic for American politics.

The nukes BTW are modified to look like they are of Chinese manufacture and evidence linking the bombs to the Chinese is disseminated by the Soviets. "We didn't do it! It was them!"
 
The moon. The dark side would be a perfect vampire hangout.
No concern for lack of gravity, heat, atmosphere for a bunch of undead blokes that tend to float about anyways.
 
Well, if you want to go easy way, it's up to you of course, but you should take several thing into consideration. First, there were not only Russians living in the USSR, but the whole lot of nationalities. Stalin was from Georgia, for one (his real name was Besarionis dze Jugashvili). You can, of course, call all inhabitants of former USSR "russians" but that's just plainly wrong, and in some countries can now be even looked upon as insult. Technically even Lenin himself probably was not Russian but rather from one of the ethnical minorities. Second, the Russians themselves (or should I say ourselves, as I have at least half of Russian blood) come in all shapes and sizes. My father, for example, has as Russian origin as it could be possible, and he has black hair, rather medium height (around 170 something) and narrow eyes.

I guess I could make one of the bad guys Georgian? these specific characters set in the early 1960's were going to be mainly Russian and some of my main protagonists would be a mix of Russian due to the result of the Cold War and WWII. My portrayal of some of the Russian villains would also have different shapes and sizes. One was going to be a very tall, close to about 200cm, big and muscular guy with short light-brown hair. Another one would be more slim and average height, around 175-180cm and have dark hair.

Generally I have nothing against putting up Russians as main bad guys (you need somebody for this role, and I must assure you that American or British bad guys are really in abundance in the modern Russian literature, so we are maintaining the balance here). Thing is, I would really like anybody writing such stuff to put a little more character and diversity into the Russians in his novel (or short story, or even a poem) rather than going with common "cartoonish" descriptions. You can make us as evil as you wish to, but please don't make us look like the clones of each other )

So is it a bad idea if I made a Russian villain with blonde hair, very tall, big and muscular?

By the way, if you need any other knowledge about USSR, feel free to ask, I will help with what I can. Otherwise you might end up with something very far from reality (especially in details), and even in the fiction book you wouldn't want to do that )))

Yes! I'd like that a lot. Do you know anything about the Yugoslav wars?
 
I thought it wasn't all of Romania that is associated with vampires, but only Transylvania? Looking on a map, it looks like the easternmost part of Ukraine borders the north part of Transylvania.
 
I thought it wasn't all of Romania that is associated with vampires, but only Transylvania? Looking on a map, it looks like the easternmost part of Ukraine borders the north part of Transylvania.

I was looking for a more remote and secretive region, which Romania might be a good option with it's mountainous territory. Transylvania might not work in that aspect, though Romania itself may not be a good idea either as many of the Russian Soviets would have a difficult time keeping anything secret there and with the tensions between both countries, would be a real risk taker if I'm not mistaken?
 
Well, that's what I'm saying. The Ukraine was part of the USSR then. And part of it basically continues Transylvania, and it's still mountainous -- the Carpathians continue into it. So that would be ideal.
I was looking for a more remote and secretive region, which Romania might be a good option with it's mountainous territory. Transylvania might not work in that aspect, though Romania itself may not be a good idea either as many of the Russian Soviets would have a difficult time keeping anything secret there and with the tensions between both countries, would be a real risk taker if I'm not mistaken?
 
Well, that's what I'm saying. The Ukraine was part of the USSR then. And part of it basically continues Transylvania, and it's still mountainous -- the Carpathians continue into it. So that would be ideal.

Could the bad guys working on secret weapons there be Russian? Or would it make no sense in Transylvania?
 
Bulgaria where I live was a closed Stalinist client state of the Soviet Union for decades. Its Rhodope mountains are the great ancient legendary homeland of Orpheus and other myths, but physically are in fact mostly made of metallic ores. Between 1949 and 1989 900 tons of uranium were extracted from the Rhodopes and sold at cut price to the Soviet Union. There were also mines for copper, iron, and precious heavy metals. But away from the mines the Rhodopes are ancient forest wilderness, home to one of Europe's last big populations of brown bears, as well as wolf packs. Bulgaria's border with Greece was a major front line of the Cold War, and completely closed. Today the legacy of this is a wonderful nature reserve unspoilt by post-war industrialisation, with eagles and vultures as well as wild boar and other large animals. The region is heatwave hot all summer and buried under freezing snow all winter. In 1963-4 the country was completely subservient to the Soviets. I think the Rhodopes would make a great place for Soviet weapons, werewolves and vampires. Check them out online, have a look at images of the wilderness, the bears and wolves, and read up on Stalinist Bulgaria. Then, to hide your deadly weapons, what better place could the Soviets choose than Devil's Throat Cave?
 
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