In the picturesque forests between Ukmergė and Vepriai, by the Šventoji River, the Soviet Army's Kopūstėliai missile base operated for three decades (1958–1988). The last missiles were removed from the Kopūstėliai forests in 1988, when the Soviet Union and the United States of America concluded a joint agreement on the elimination of short- and intermediate-range missiles. Construction in the Kopūstėliai forests began around 1958. Kopūstėliai was one of two missile bases combined into a single structure. In 1960 the most powerful Soviet Army missiles of the time – the 8K63 – were brought here. There were eight of them at Kopūstėliai. They were kept in camouflaged hangars: the reinforced-concrete structures were covered with sand and earth, and the hangars were planted with grass, shrubs and trees. There were two such hangars at Kopūstėliai, and next to them four fixed missile launch pads. The nuclear warheads for the missiles were kept in a separate area in the same Kopūstėliai forest, about two kilometres away. They were stored in special containers on trolleys, and a separate military unit was responsible for their maintenance and security. Missiles of the 8K63 type could reach a target no more than 3,000 kilometres away. So nuclear weapons launched from Kopūstėliai could have been aimed at Turkey, Norway, Great Britain, Germany and so on – but not at the USA, as is often popularly believed. There were three states of combat readiness for the missiles: constant, increased and full. At Kopūstėliai the missiles were usually kept at constant readiness, meaning they were stored in a hangar without a nuclear warhead. On receiving an order to bring the missiles to increased readiness, they were towed to the launch pad and a nuclear warhead was attached. Full readiness meant the weapon had to be ready for launch – the missile was placed on the launcher, the fuel components were loaded, and the flight target was entered into the guidance system. At the Kopūstėliai missile base the missiles were brought to the second state only once – in 1968, during the USSR's military invasion of Czechoslovakia. The missiles at Kopūstėliai were mobile – they could take off not only from the fixed launch pads on the base itself. There were reserve launch pads in various places in the district, since these were nothing special: massive reinforced-concrete slabs covering an area of about six square metres. Once built, they were covered with a layer of earth about twenty centimetres thick, so local residents had no idea they existed. Civilians could freely enter the Kopūstėliai missile base only after 1988, when all the 8K63 intermediate-range missiles had been removed. For three decades the area was closely guarded and watched day and night. The combat section of the Kopūstėliai missile base was enclosed by a twelve-strand barbed-wire fence more than two metres high. Behind the fence was the "Tantal" security system – invisible sensors that reacted to any moving object and sent a signal to the guardhouse. The whole area was enclosed by an electrified security system – a net invisible to the human eye carrying a constant 380 V, and 1,800 V in combat readiness. The base was also surrounded by minefields controlled from the guardhouse, trenches and a system of permanent firing points. On top of that, the missile base was constantly watched from the air… Today the Kopūstėliai missile base is home to the "Miško broliai" club, which presents the history of the partisans and organises tours, educational activities, camps and other active pastimes. To arrange a visit, contact the club administrator.