Ukraine has declared that the enormous Duga-1 radar array is a protected cultural monument.

Almost 2,300 feet long and more than 450 feet high, the steel beams of the radar tower over the surrounding forest. From a distance, it appears to be a massive wall or the start of a cage.

The Association of Chernobyl Tour Operators first announced that Ukraine had made Duga-1 a protected heritage site on its Facebook page. Interfax, a Russian news service, later reported the official designation.

“Our heritage is not only the area around the power plant but also the buildings located on its territory. So now we are working on identifying other objects that should be part of the list of monuments. Our goal is to prevent destruction when possible.””

— Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy

When Duga-1 came online sometime in the mid 1970s, radio operators around the world noticed a strange signal coming from the forests of Ukraine. The system was so powerful it disrupted some frequencies with an irritating thumping noise. Amateur radio operators dubbed the signal’s source “The Russian Woodpecker” because of the repeated tapping noise it pumped into HAM radios.

Media Story - https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/88nagx/a-missile-radar-in-the-chernobyl-exclusion-zone-is-now-a-protected-heritage-site