Ivan, Russian blogger has visited a pretty unique place – a Shikotan island – belonging now to Russia but is constantly claimed by Japan as their land. It’s not a big piece of land – just 225 square km, and the population is 2,100. However see how beautifully abandoned old Soviet tanks match the nice scenery around! Let’s go inside:
The locals call this place  “The Tank Hill”. Locals mainly do fishing for their living and can’t scrap the tanks as they are on the island and transportation is not worth it. So the tanks are still there!
This photos were made in Midst October last year. Ivan says too much mosquitoes to stand were around.
So he went up the Tank Hill.
And here comes the first tank! You can’t see them from the sea, says Ivan, only unclose.
Because its a fall time the grass is already fading and you can see them. In summer its nearly to impossible when the grass is high, says Ivan.
That’s another one.
And here you can sneak under the machine to see what’s there.
He says locals say that those tanks are fully functional still, no matter they look rusty.
“It’s weird how its aiming the peaceful city”, says Ivan.
Those two poles that’s the only thing what is left from the army base around, the locals got it all.
And this is the only building left.
Hope you liked the view of those old tanks, big thanks to Ivan for his effort!
The landscape looks very Norwegian. Shaped by the same glacier perhaps?
Apparently that IS-3 tank was used as a static pillbox, judging from the trench running under it. The crew would use it to go inside through a lower hatch without having to expose themselves to the enemy. I doubt it’s functional, I think its engine might have been cannibalised for other machines.
This island was discovered by the Russian Great Northern Expedition in the years 1733–1743 and is inhabited mostly by ethnic Russians engaged in fishing and fish processing; the tanks on the pictures above (IS-2 – 1, 11; IS-3 – 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14) were once used as rotating turrets for protecting the Soviet border. There is also a geophysical observatory and a large fish processing plant located on this island.
Thanks for the posting. great pics. interesting place
Love the pics, those tanks look so peaceful covered in rust frozen in time for eternity now.
And those are pretty unique tanks IS-3 (Iosif Stalin 3). Would be a pretty good idea to keep them there and organize WWII trips for Japanese tourists.
The hatch is open on the tank, too bad no photos! Or maybe it”s just too nasty?
They may have been functional when the army left them there, although I can’t imagine them not taking the breech block out at least. Anyway, shoving an antitank round or HE round in there and pulling the trigger would lead to a rather short,hot and loud life.