Top Secret: Explore Mysteries of Soviet Vault That Hosted Classified Data

Sometimes secret facilities storing classified information or dangerous weapons need to retire, just like humans. In this case, thousands of people have the opportunity to experience history; top secret buildings readily become the most interesting museums.

This vast, fortified underground vault, known as Vault-703 of the USSR's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contained numerous secrets, as it served as an archive for the Soviet, and later the Russian, Foreign Ministry. The underground facility is located near the centre of Moscow and began to operate in 1961, before eventually becoming a museum in 2018.

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Exhibit item in the Vault-703 museum in Moscow

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Visitors of the Vault-703 museum

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Visitor inside the Vault-703 museum

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Visitor inside the Vault-703 museum

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Part of the Vault-703 museum's communications

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Exhibit item in the Vault-703 museum in Moscow

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People visiting the exhibition at the Vault-703 museum

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Soviet gas mask at the Vault-703 museum

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Manual warning system at the Vault-703 museum

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Visitors of the Vault-703 museum

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Visitor of the Vault-703 museum

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Old Soviet items in the Vault-703 museum

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Visitor of the Vault-703 museum