Russian blogger sneaks into state's 'high-security' rocket plant through hole in fence

GlobalPost

A Russian blogger exposed slips in state security when she sneaked into a strategic rocket factory – not just once, but five times.

Lana Santor documented her visits in photographs, 96 of which which she then published on her blog. They show a decrepit and seemingly deserted plant, with paint peeling off machinery and piles of junk outside.

More from GlobalPost: Russian spacecraft gets lost on way to Mars moon

Santor claims she and other urban explorers have made five separate trips to the state-owned Energomash plant near Moscow, which according to Pravda makes liquid-fuel engines for civil and defense missiles.

She and her friends apparently sneaked through a hole in the fence under cover of darkness and were able to access many of the plant's buildings unchallenged, including the control room.

The apparent lapse in/absence of security was an embarrassment for Russian authorities. According to Reuters:

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the security failure was "unacceptable," warning in a televised meeting with Roskosmos [state space agency] chief Vladimir Popovkin that "sleepy cats" who failed to maintain security at strategic defense sites face punishment.

According to Ria Novosti, Rogozin had warned other "cheeky mice" bloggers to stay away from strategic installations from now on, saying darkly: "There will be no freewheeling."

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.