Molniya (explosive trap)
Encyclopedia
Certain buried or otherwise concealed containers used by the KGB
to cache items such as shortwave
radio receivers and cryptographic
materials were booby-trapped
with an explosive device known as Molniya ("lightning"). A sequence of specific actions had to be taken in the correct order to render the device safe prior to moving or opening the container, or the device would detonate. This detonation was designed to be highly lethal to anyone in immediate proximity, as well as being sufficient to destroy all materials in the cache.
Large arms caches were allegedly hidden in many countries for the planned terrorism acts. They were booby-trapped with "Molniya". One such cache, which was identified by KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin
, exploded when Swiss authorities fired upon it using a water cannon
, resulting in no casualties. The device was found in the woods near Bern.
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
to cache items such as shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
radio receivers and cryptographic
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
materials were booby-trapped
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
with an explosive device known as Molniya ("lightning"). A sequence of specific actions had to be taken in the correct order to render the device safe prior to moving or opening the container, or the device would detonate. This detonation was designed to be highly lethal to anyone in immediate proximity, as well as being sufficient to destroy all materials in the cache.
Large arms caches were allegedly hidden in many countries for the planned terrorism acts. They were booby-trapped with "Molniya". One such cache, which was identified by KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
, exploded when Swiss authorities fired upon it using a water cannon
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
, resulting in no casualties. The device was found in the woods near Bern.