Vasilevsky Urbex
Made in FoxType
Abandoned Morozovsky coal mine
Traveling around Ukraine, exploring a lot of abandoned industrial sites, it was simply impossible not to get to the territory of the former Morozovsky quarry, which revealed not only the beauty of such a large-scale object, but also hid abandoned rotary excavators. It was these gigantic machines that were our goal, the exploration of which took us 2 trips, which were clearly not enough for us.
The cemetery idea
Studying the map and available information, it became clear that the territory of the quarry is guarded, and no one would let us climb, shoot and explore in peace. In order to get closer to the equipment and spend less time on “transfer” it was decided to enter the territory by car, through the checkpoint, having previously left it there “under guard”.
The old local cemetery and the legend about the “great-grandmother”, with the help of which we easily got into the territory, were attractive for the realization of such a daring plan. It’s hard to say whether they believed us or not, but the guard didn’t want to get into an awkward position by forbidding us to visit the grave of a fictitious great-grandmother.
But the happiness did not last long – we were kicked out in disgrace, after a brilliant idea to inspect the quarry from a tower located on an abandoned electrical substation.
Site survey
I really hope we get together again and complete our adventure…..
Since the territory of the quarry is huge, it was immediately clear that one day here is not going to do, and it was a failure. You can’t just drive 200 km one way, look at one excavator, walk through the abandoned and guarded industrial zone of the quarry and return back to the Dnieper. It turns out you can!
On our first trip we only managed to visit the industrial area, from which the very excavators could be seen on the other side. The territory itself is a complex of administrative buildings and workshops, which we can say with certainty that it was the heart of the entire quarry, from where not only the work of the workers was supervised, but also all the equipment that was in operation was serviced and repaired.
Unfortunately, there is nothing more to say – everything has been looted. Empty buildings, scattered spare parts around the territory, only the guard booth and empty dog bowls.
What is the Morozovsky quarry
Morozovskiy quarry, more correctly to say the cut, is located in Alexandriyskiy district of Kirovograd region, connecting the village of Novoselovka and Morozovka, not far from the settlement of Pantayevka. Here on a huge flooded area of about 5 km long flooded part (measured with the help of google maps), clearly visible all the way legendary abandoned excavators, for the sake of which and go fans of extreme recreation.
The development of brown coal deposits began in 1970, and continued for 39 years, until 2009, when the owner, represented by the open joint-stock company “State Holding Company ‘Alexandriaugol’, stopped the work. And the reason for the shutdown was the power outage due to huge debts to the power company.
There may be several consequences of accumulating such large debts that led to the shutdown – the company went bankrupt on purpose, coal consumers did not pay on time, so delays in payments and settlements were growing, or the cost of coal was so low that it did not cover the cost of its extraction. As for the latter option, the answer lies in the coal brand itself.
Brown coal according to the Soviet classification belongs to the “B” grade, most often intended for thermal power plants and is characterized by low combustion temperature, high humidity and cheapness on the energy market. It seems to me that this is the reason for the bankruptcy of Alexandriaugol, even though coal production reached one million tons per year.
“It’s banally ridiculous – they cut off the electricity generated by thermal power plants, the fuel for which is the same lignite (Read more about lignite).
Since the depth of occurrence of the fossil is from 10 to 100 meters from the surface, extraction was carried out by the open-pit method, for which these huge machines served, cutting off layer after layer of valuable energy carrier.
Which excavators were and which ones are left?
From various public sources it became clear that a wide variety of techniques were used in the development of the cut, which can be divided into several parts, viz:
- The largest and most productive excavators ERSR-1600 and ERSRD-5250.
- 3 walking draglines ESH 6/45.
- German trophy excavators DS-1000 and DS-1500.
- Walking stacker OSHR-5000.
- Trophy German transportation and dumping bridge, taken from Germany (Bregwitze) at the end of World War II (cut long ago).
- Auxiliary equipment (diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, dump trucks and conveyors).
Now, more precisely for summer 2021, there is still something to see, at least the guys from Dnipro Stalker managed to do it and they visited several excavators (photo above). I will also add some old photos found in the Internet.
What will happen to the Morozovsky quarry?
In my personal opinion, the history of this quarry is already over. There were, of course, various rumors about reclamation, refinancing, attraction of Chinese investors, etc., but by and large, all these theories are nothing more than the hope of the former employees of the enterprise to return to their former jobs, because out of the 70 thousand population of the nearest settlements about 15 000 were employed at the quarry. As for the legacy that remains, there is no way to save it.
Some of the equipment went to be melted down as scrap metal, some of the equipment and components were removed and used in other excavators and quarries, and the hulls and structures became home to fish at the bottom of the quarry.
With the development of new technologies and the phasing out of the idea of fossil fuels, I highly doubt the profitability of continuing to develop this formation.
Adventures through the eyes of other group members
It took us a long time to get there, the Kryvyi Rih highway is beautifully laid out and quiet. And then the road looks more like the surface of the moon. After driving 200 kilometers, we parked in the village of Dibrovy, which is 6 kilometers from the facility. And then we drove through the fields to the target. We arrived at about 11:00, and it was pitch black in the fields, according to the agronomists' schedule. So we, like a real reconnaissance unit, decided to walk along the planting strips. This was done so that no one would ask “what the fuck are we doing here”.
So we walked through the fields, not straight through, but right through the dense plantations that divide the fields. There you have everything your heart desires - ticks, spiders, mice, snakes. In a word, a song. At first I went first, happily and confidently moving towards the goal. You cannot imagine what a mistake that was. I had never seen so many cobwebs in my life, and not just any cobwebs, this one was very elastic and strong. So while I was tearing the cobwebs off my face and hair, the guys came up with an idea: to walk and wave a stick in front of them, collecting this cotton candy.
The last field was corn, and behind it was a hill. As we climbed up, we saw the quarry in all its glory. However, it was not the best idea to stand on the hill, so we quickly started to descend to avoid burning ourselves. When we finally got down the slope, we could start unpacking. “We had...” A pump, an inflatable mattress, an inflatable bed, flashlights, an underwater camera, camping tools and rations.
Me, the Headlamp, the Rope, and the Forecaster are rocking the mattress, scaring away snakes, and looking at the horizon to see if there was any “fervor”. The job is done, it's time to get into the water!
The surface of the flooded quarry opened up before us, from which industrial monsters were peering out. The first one was a walking rotary excavator ERShRD-5250, immediately followed by its brother OshR-5000. Both were from Azovmash. I had a feeling that they were alive. As if they had always stood here, the owners of the Morozovsky quarry. The sun was shining and in the distance on the opposite bank you could see the workshops of the former enterprise “Aleksandriyavugol”.
Once there was a real industrial orchestra here, but now it is so quiet that you can hear a combine harvester fart in the neighboring village. Looking at these landscapes, we start preparing for the descent into the water. Motuzyka and I took off all our clothes, leaving only our underwear, Farah changed into trump swim trunks, and we stuffed everything into a bag. I handed the bag to the Forecaster, he threw everything into the bag, and looked at me. I told him:
- Don't you have any underwear?
He says: - “No! But I have an idea...
And he puts a 5-liter garbage bag over his sweaty ass and sweaty organ. A translucent, garbage, sky-colored bag. We climbed onto the mattresses. Me, Farah, and the Forecaster floated on a large mattress. We were shoveling through the mire and gradually approaching the first crane. A big rotary giant. Its massive structure pressed down on us with its majesty. The bag on the Forecaster's ass turned into a greenhouse, and he kept accelerating his stroke “because it was hot.” Meanwhile, Rope, who had long since overtaken us, was moored near the lower cabin of the engineer on his single.
Closer to the faucet, the water was resinous, with the characteristic spots of a rainbow on the water. Clinging to the pirouettes of the outer steps, I realized how much of it was still underwater. Stepping on the iron stairs with wet feet, the greetings of this monster were prickly to the touch. The staircase was not designed to be climbed by half-naked stalkers. We were overwhelmed with a feeling of incredible joy and excitement that we had reached the roof of the lower floors.
Looking around the lower floors, work cells, and technical rooms, I thought we would be here for a week to inspect it. Because it was practically on the water, I had the feeling that we were at some kind of oil station in the open ocean. Thirty-seven meters above the water of just one of them, and we have been looking at the lower floors for an hour without going up. Apparently, we all felt it together, and decided to go in different directions to get a better look. I was already thinking about changing my shoes, because rust and grease were sticking to my feet... Not to mention the fact that all the metal started to heat up in the sun.
Now everything is much better! I changed my shoes and ran around this giant like a madman. This location was so exciting in places, so unique. We started to climb the main boom of the first crane, which offered an even better view. We could see some slate, a barely visible ESH 6/45 boom, and various machinery. And right below us was an incredible rotary bucket with perennial reeds already growing in its claws.
One thing made everyone sad, and when inspecting the crane, it was hard not to notice that it was slowly being disassembled into parts. Something was cut off here and there. Somewhere there was no cable, and somewhere the electric drive motor was cut off. The guesswork was obvious. This facility has security guards, and they are hardly well paid. And it's a long way from civilization. And if you saw something here, or worked with a gas cutter, the whole neighborhood would hear it. So only the guards could do it.
After running through the rotary, we began to descend to the mattresses from the peak of the giant's boom, and it was then that I saw that there was not only equipment underwater, but also a large administrative building.
- Tip. We definitely need to look for scuba gear and come here again! Underwater stalking is a new stage of our club! (That's what I said and started planning the next trip right away).
We jumped on the mattresses and, pushing off, swam to the next one. We were moving gently, and the OshR-5000 looked like a real pirate ship. It had a giant strip of soil feeding through it. The same soil that his brother was digging. The task of this giant was to sift it and pour it on the bund (a mountain of waste soil). The “deck” here is really wide compared to the other crane. I looked at the boom and estimated how long it would take me to get up there.
Somewhere around that moment, the adventure of that day began to turn gradually into a personal fiasco. I started to feel cold, and I went to look for my things. Immediately after that, my stomach started to hurt. While the guys were climbing up the mountain saying, “Well, are you coming with us or not?” I was looking for the toilet. It must have been in the back room. Running in, I saw two gas cylinders, a gas cutter, a grinder, and a place for a fire. And a little further there was a toilet that had been removed from somewhere. I didn't have to think long, as they say - it was propped up. Playing my ass on this trombone, I realized that this was the base of the metal workers. Having done my dirty work, I went back to the “deck”, looked up and saw that the guys were already at the peak of the boom. One of the ones holding the cables. Perhaps I would have started to be jealous that I was not there now, but the second wave started. Only now it was vomit. I was like this for about 20 minutes, and Farah saw me. It was a sunstroke. I marked the territory so well that others were getting sick too. Farah gathered the guys, and everyone started to pass out.
Somehow I was pushed onto a mattress, then onto the bank's hillside. There we were divided into pairs. The forecaster and Rope went to the car, and Farah led me through the corn. I can tell you, we both remembered that corn for a long time. I was holding on to Fara's backpack, and I was also wearing a backpack with an ATB package tied to it. I had almost no strength, so I walked with my eyes closed. The thought in my head was “I just have to live through this day”. Big, heavy, thick cobs hitting us in the face, legs, and sometimes in the balls. This is not a porn hub. This is the reality of my suffering.
Halfway to the car, we met some men in a Muscovite. I asked them for a drink, and I think I gave them some hryvnias in my pocket, and we talked. Meanwhile, the Forecaster arrived and we went home. One thing is for sure, the Forecaster pissed me off, and he didn't stop when I wanted to eat, but that's another story altogether.
It was the beginning of the fall of 2021. We planned the next trip for the summer of 22nd. At the beginning of the 22nd, the Katsap invasion began, and all stalking was put on the back burner.
So, my story is about this trip. It was before the war, as far as I remember. We decided to go to Kirovohrad. It all started early in the morning: A weather forecaster (unfortunately, I don't remember his name) picked us up in his car and we set off. The beginning of the journey was promising, because we were driving in the opposite direction, and the Forecaster said: “It will be shorter this way”. As a result, it added 30 minutes to the route. I emphasize this because it made me really angry at the time 😀
The trip there passed quite quickly. We discussed the trip itself and talked about various topics.
Our drop-off point was in a field, and the second thing that annoyed me was that we parked the car very far from the quarry itself. For some reason, everyone decided that otherwise someone would notice us. But it was okay. We unloaded, changed clothes, got out all our gear, cameras, chargers, packs, and the mattress that had replaced our boat. It was a blistering heat, and we set off on foot towards the quarry, leaving the car in the bushes.
We crossed the dirt road, walked along the field to the forest belt and started walking along it. It was not very pleasant to walk along the forest belt: there were hundreds of webs with spiders everywhere - from the bottom, top, and sides. I had to knock the cobwebs down with sticks to pass. Sometimes spiders fell on our heads. We walked for about 20-30 minutes, and then we came to an empty field and walked along it.
Eventually we came to a cornfield, and it was impossible to go around it because the quarry was right behind it. So we made our way between the corn stalks, which sometimes hit us in the legs, face, and balls. This field seemed endless, and we walked through it for a very long time. It took us about an hour to get there one way.
Finally, when we got to the quarry, we saw excavators in the distance. We began to make our way to them, the path now going downhill. When we got to the water, we started changing our clothes and inflating our mattresses. Despite the insane heat, the water was still quite icy at that moment. There were four of us: three on a mattress and one on a circle or on a pillow - I don't remember exactly. In addition, the Forecaster tore his swimming trunks or forgot them at home, and he had no better idea than to put on a bag instead of underwear. Sometimes it was funny, because it was the one that fell out, but in general it did not prevent us from swimming to the first excavator of the two.
After unloading, we started to look around, shoot videos, take pictures, and climb the excavator. It was very cool.
Nothing special happened on the excavators. We admired the scenery and took photos. But when we crossed over to the second one, Vagon felt sick. Probably, the long journey under the sun had affected him. He kept throwing up in the engine room, and we decided it was time to get back to the car.
The forecaster pulled the bag back over the same spot and we swam to the shore. We gathered our things, changed clothes and headed back through the cornfield. Given that Vahon was very sick, we split up: the guys went ahead to get closer with the car, and Vahon and I slowly made our way through the corn stalks.
Because the car had been left far away, the return trip was even longer. When we got to the road, we did not turn into the forest belt, because there was no point in hiding. On the way, we met men in a Moskvich and asked them for water. After a while, the Forecaster arrived, and we, tired, headed back to the Dnipro.
Recommend to read