C00174742 UNCLASSIFIED Page: 15 of 28 Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1992 Document 12 of 20 Page 1 Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Status: [STAT] Document Date: 19 Aug 92 Category: [CAT] Report Type: JPRS report Report Date: Report Number: FBIS-USR-92-129 UDC Number: Author(s): Juri Liim: "Spy Nest"] Headline: KGB's `SOSNA' Profiled Source Line: 92UN2179A Tallinn EESTI AEG/KODUMAA in Estonian, 19 Aug 92 p 6 Subslug: [Article by Juri Liim: "Spy Nest"] FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE: 1. [Article by Juri Liim: "Spy Nest"] 2., [Text] There are quite a few military structures on the soil of the Republic of Estonia that have a forest of aerials sprouting out of them. Some of these structures, whose purpose and activity are kept super-secret, are especially important, which is particularly true of surveillance objects. Naturally, such nests of espionage are concealed as much as possible, but often turn up at some well-known and rather unexpected places. One of those extremely important surveillance centers is located at MERIVALJA, AT THE VIIMSI ESTATE OF GENERAL LAIDONER [General and Supreme Commander of Armed Forces during Estonia's independence period-Translator's note]. The estate, like many other cultural objects, has been remodeled to meet the needs and tastes of military designers. The recurring decorative element is a boarded fence wreathed with bundles of barbed wire. The mansion itself is badly trashed, as the interior is crammed full of special purpose offices. The commander's office, by the way,-is located in what used to be Mrs. Laidoner's bedroom. This, as far as I can tell, is the only room where one can still see some of the original woodwork used for the interior. The basement rooms, however, are totally taboo-this is where the "treasure" of the object is, consisting of special equipment. In addition to what I saw from the front of the estate, I also managed to move about the grounds and take a look at some of the buildings there. 3. Two "sputnik" aerials were located behind the estate. 4. A receiving "dish" measuring several meters in diameter is still in the yard of the estate. 5. Electronic surveillance center 6. The estate is used to house the ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE UNIT Approve for Release 31 C00174742 Page: 16 of 28 Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1992 Document 12 of 20 Page 2 Number 31181 OF THE NORTH SEA FLEET. The commander is (was) Captain First Grade STEPAN FEDOSEYEVICH OSIPCHUK, an intelligent-looking man. The task of this surveillance unit is to scan the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It tracks the movement of all submarine and surface vessels belonging to NATO and other states, and the takeoff of airplanes, helicopters, rockets, etc. To carry out this task, the unit has two supplementary objects in addition to its main base. 7. 1) A transmitting center on the peninsula of Viimsi, where numerous aerials and wires are spread over quite a large area. The center maintains communications with two similar centers located at Severomorsk and Kaliningrad. Staff headquarters of the Soviet Navy are in Moscow. 8. 2) A radar center at Merivalja, at the end of Hobekuuse Street (not to be confused with aerials on top of house number 8 on the same street). This object is located on a much smaller area than center 1, and its tasks are slightly different. Once the range has been established, the location of the signal can be determined. The respective ranges will also have to be checked out individually. 9. Objective of the surveillance center's work 10. The unit has close to 20 guards, all of whom handle, in addition to locating the objects mentioned, searching, picking up and storing other necessary signals from a given range transmitted by telephone, Morse code, teletype, coded telegrams, radio communications, etc. All verbal information is translated and sorted. Close to 80 percent of the information is received via the sputnik aerials located behind the mansion of Viimsi. There are two of these domed aerials that measure 2.5 to 3 meters in height. One of them is silver, the other one green. As mentioned before, all of the locating equipment is kept in the basement of the mansion. 11. Operations building of the transmitting center. 12. The range of the signals detected is sent, via the transmitting center, to the locating center, and also to the two other units. This is where the source of a detected signal is determined. Thanks to such cooperation between the three units, the object is located fairly accurately (within 0.5 to 2 nautical miles). On the mansion grounds, in addition to the "space-domes", there is also the grid of a large, round "dish" for reception. Both the main unit and the two supplementary objects are equipped with mobile auxiliary power stations (diesel motors) which make it possible for the work to be continued in case of a power failure. All necessary equipment is duplicated and placed on appropriate means of transportation. These C00174742 Page: 17 of 28 Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1992 Document 12 of 20 Page 3 make it possible to continue the activity somewhere else, radio waves permitting. There were some 50 different pieces of machinery at the beginning of this year. Out of those, more than 10 were outside on the castle grounds. By now, most of them (basically trucks) have been sold off to "cooperators." By the way, training for the technology mentioned here is conducted on the Aegviidu-Tapa testing grounds. 13. As the "castle spirits" of Viimsi have revealed, they could get three times as much information out of the "cosmos" than they actually do. Only if they take the trouble, of course. One reason for not taking the trouble may be that, by spring, there were only 200 seamen left in the unit, in addition to 50 officers, 15 midshipmen and 15 employees. The number of seamen, in particular, has dried up even further. 14. Actually, there are some very good reasons why the aerials are placed specifically at Merivaija. Namely, radio waves are concentrated here. To the delight of UFO fans, let's recall the mysterious accumulation of metal said to be embedded in the earth at Hobekuuse Street which, according to one version, is thought to be a hidden space object-a beacon to the comers. Whether it is this, or some other reason, that accounts for the concentration of radio waves, will probably be known at some future time. We can say that the surveillance center located in Estonia is not the only one of its kind. A similar center for Europe is located in Latvia and in Russia, near our borders. 15. I did a more thorough study of the conditions described here in the latter part of winter this year. It had to be kept quiet in hopes that Estonia may get possession of the equipment. Besides, disclosure would have caused anxiety among the military, and forced them to secrecy. By now, the situation has changed. Despite assurances about the indispensable nature of the object, and the impossibility of returning the estate because of the high cost of relocation, surveillance aerials are starting to come down. Dismantling of the SOSNA radio detection center at Merivalja was started some time ago. By now, there is no scrap of iron left. Barns, as usual, are reduced to splinters-the stone building for the equipment is still standing. As is typical of such abandoned objects, the military has sold it off to some "cooperative." For the time being it is hard to tell and, God only knows, what will be in its place. 16. The other field of aerials at Viimsi is still standing, but has not been functioning for the past few days. The space aerials have also been taken down at the estate. Where this property is taken, or what will be done with it, only time can tell. I can assume, however, that these contraptions are (were) being taken out of Estonia under the protective authority of our men at Toompea. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO C00174742 Page: 18 of 28 Concatenated JPRS Reports, 1992 Document 12 of 20 Page 4 TELL WHEN, AND IN WHAT CONDITION, THE LAIDONER ESTATE WILL BE RETURNED TO US.