The Moscow Metro
The metro through Moscow is the most commonly used means of transport in Moscow. Hundreds, or maybe even thousands of individuals go in and out of the trains there daily. The question is though… do they know what could be going on right under them? There are plenty of stories about the Moscow Metro but we’re going to start with the story of Metro-2. Metro-2 was said to be conducted in the 1930s while Russia was under the rule of Joseph Stalin. It's said that he was the one who ordered it be built. The Metro itself is said to be anywhere from 50-120 meters (164- 393 feet) underground and has four lines; plenty to move a large number of people in the case of some kind of war-time emergency.
There is said to be a secret entrance located somewhere in the Kremlin building and has corridors connecting to the facilities of the red Sokolnicheskaya line. Now, there is no absolute proof this exists but still many online speculate that there is a secret metro, and while it may have once been reachable, it is now closed off for the safety of Moscow. Given the fact the Moscow station was fitted to be used as some sort of fallout shelter, with various bunkers, air filtration, and sleeping areas for over 1,000 people, it's no surprise that many took the urban legend of Metro-2 and gave it new life.
One of the most common, and terrifying legends to come from the mysterious metro is that of the creatures that supposedly roam the tracks of Metro-2. Many claim there are some types of unknown creatures dwelling underground. These creatures are said to be a human hybrid of some sort brought on by Soviet experimentation. Of course, many discount it as false but many also believe it, and even claim to have seen it. Other creatures said to roam the railways are rats large enough to drag off anyone who dared to venture in.
Back on the surface, however, there are plenty more theories and stories surrounding the Metro. Some stories tell of a train that appears right as the Metro is closing. The train looks to be from the 40s-50s and driven by a man in a Soviet Uniform. If you were to step foot on the train, you’ll never be seen again. A second train, one that looks modern, is said to follow a Circle line after midnight but when it stops, the doors do not open. This is because the only ones boarding this train are the souls of those lost while the Metro was being constructed.
The final ghost story is that of The Black Driver. This legend is the most recent with its origins taking place in the 1980s. It's said a train on the Metro caught fire and the driver, instead of saving himself, ran into the flames to pull others out. He was said to have saved many people but passed away from his injuries a short time later. The officials at the Metro blamed him for the fire and so he’s said to walk the Metro at night in search of revenge. I’d love to hear what my Russian viewers have to say about what’s taking place in the Moscow Metro. Do you believe there is something down there roaming around at night? Or is there something underneath that we should be more afraid of?
The Collector
Our next legend has a disturbing tie to the reality that we’ll touch on later. Its believed this legend began in the early days as an easy way to keep children off the street at night. The legend is simple; someone, only known as The Collector roams the streets of Russia at night looking for any kind of easy pray. Most of the time this would be small children. If The Collector were to come across a child roaming the street they would kidnap them, and harvest their organs. Sometimes the children were never seen again, other times, they wake up in alleyways, parks, or, the all too famous, a bathtub full of ice. It isn’t clear what The Collector wanted with the various organs but numerous retellings of the story say they were all kept in jars and kept on display.
This idea has played out in various television series and movies. One I
know of off the top of my head is the Governor from The Walking Dead. As we said though, this one could have some basis in reality. It was in 2011 that Anatoly Moskvin was arrested in connection with various grave robberies. When police searched his home they found the remains of 26 girls all mummified and made to look like dolls. He claimed he had plans of bringing them back to life; either through black magic or science.
Of course, Anatoly wasn’t harvesting organs, and technically never took anyone’s life, but who’s to say that someone out there wouldn’t? This is one of those that really makes me feel uneasy.
The Black Volga
This legend, while originating in Russia, soon found itself in various other countries like Ukraine, Greece, and even Mongolia. The idea is similar to The Collector just a little more sinister. The story began in the 1960s and ’70s and seemed to be another story concocted to keep children off the streets in the middle of the night. According to the original legend seeing this car was an extremely bad omen. Seeing this car creep by you at night meant almost certain death.
As its main target was believed to be children, the rumor that they would be kidnapped began making the rounds. It was later added the thing inside the car would either keep you for 24 hours or take your life on the spot. As for what was in the car, the reports vary wildly. Given the time of this legend, it's no surprise the Jews, and other religious figures were said to be driving the cars. Aside from that, other writings depict creatures not of this world, including demons, witches, vampires, and even the men in black. Some even make mention of Satan himself being behind the wheel.
If it wasn’t Satan it was someone working with the USSR. It was said that whoever was abducting children in these cars used their blood to cure leukemia and other deadly ailments at the time. If we go back to Satan being behind the wheel then the stories claim he used the blood from children for ritualistic purposes.
While the brand and make of the car stayed relatively the same over the retellings, the appearance of the car changed a bit over time. It's said that children who saw the car from a distance reported seeing horns instead of side mirrors. Others claims there were sometimes white curtains in the back seat to block whoever was back there. Other times the trims and rims of the car were white as well. Possibly the strangest claim though was that it was seen as red in some instances. In the end, I think it may just be best to ignore all the black Volgas you may come across.
The Case of the Ivan Vassili
The Ivan Vassili was a large freight liner built in the late 1890s. On the surface it was nothing more than that, however, once it was taken out to sea it seemed there was something incredibly sinister about the boat. Nothing of note took place for 5 years following the creation of the boat, and its numerous voyages but in 1903, the year Russia was preparing for war with Japan, the purpose of the ship changed drastically. Now the Ivan Vassili was moving supplies to Vladivostok to aid in the war effort. When the boat departed either Africa or Zanzibar, something seemed to have joined the crew of the ship.
It's reported that all of them on board began reporting the feeling of being watched. No one knew why but soon the paranoia got the better of them. At one point they reported seeing an entity on the deck of the ship but it was impossible to make it. Soon after this one of the crew members screamed out in panic causing the others to act wildly and eventually they attacked each other. The violence continued for sometime into the night until one crew member, Alec Govinski, threw himself over the railing. It's said that soon after this, everyone else on the ship dropped to the floor, unconscious. Once they woke up, everything seemed to be back to normal.
The ship made its way back to Vladivostok without issue from that point forward, however, when it voyaged out again, the same events played out. While out at sea an apparition was seen, the crew went into a frenzy and one threw themselves overboard. Despite the second fatality, and seeing how shaken up the seamen were, the ship was sent out to Hong Kong. Just as before, this time before reaching their destination, the crew broke out into hysteria and one crewman, this time the Captain, Sven Andrist, threw himself overboard.
Two more voyages were taken on in the Ivan Vasilli before it was finally deemed unsafe. This only happened after two crew members went mad and were restrained below the deck. The morning after, they were both deceased. Following this, the ship was taken out of commission and sat abandoned until 1907 when it was set on fire in order to rid the evil from it. Some claim that the following morning, as it finally descended into the water, a bone-chilling scream could be heard coming from it.
Hovrinskaya Hospital
This hospital had plans of being absolutely massive for the time. The construction began in 1980 and it was reported that over 1300 beds were going to be present in the hospital. Along with this, it would be ten stories high, feature numerous courtyards, and be somewhat of a modern marvel. This all came to a halt, however, in 1985 when construction was called off. The hospital had begun to sink into the ground on one side and by the time it was noticed, it was too late to fix the issue. The building was deemed unsafe and closed indefinitely. It only took a few months for the legends and rumors to fill the minds of everyone who’d heard of the building.
It began with the ground that the hospital stood on. Some reports claim the reason it began to sink was that the ground once housed a cemetery. The more plausible explanation is that the ground was simply far too saturated to hold the amount of weight this building had. The Likhoborka river was also nearby which could have caused the over-saturation and eventually the sinking of the building. Either way, as the hospital sat for years and years with no one taking residency, nature began taking over. The basement flooded and large bushes and vines pockmarked the interior and exterior.
Of course, this was a dream for any urban explorers out there. Many photos of the inside and some videos exist of the building can be found online. Inside you can see that not only nature but mankind has taken its toll on the building. Graffiti of all kinds decorate the walls with some of it being Satanic in nature. This leads many to believe the construction of the building was abandoned because of the evil entities that dwell inside.
One post on Reddit speaks about a group known as Nemostor who were said to have ties to satanic rituals on the fourth level cellar in the 1990s. Reports of black masses and sacrifices may seem to be created to scare off anyone who would want to venture inside, but there could be proof of this claim. According to the post, police looked into the claims and found various fragments of animal bones, like dogs and cats, as well as some human bone fragments. Various reports of ghosts roaming the halls, disembodied voices and even some being touched have also been reported.
All of this pales in comparison to the real-life horror that is a part of the building’s history. Numerous homeless vagrants had been found inside, deceased. Along with this, some young women were lured inside and had their lives taken. One young man, Alexey Krayushkin, took his own life by throwing himself into the elevator shaft from the 8th floor. A small memorial was placed inside for him. Finally, one woman went inside to find her dog. As she was searching, the floor collapsed beneath her and she fell to the floor below. It took police a week to find her.
It's reported that various other individuals went missing while roaming the halls, and at least 300 people have lost their lives while inside since the building’s construction. At last, though, in 2012, the building was torn down as it was far too dangerous to keep around. I suppose we’ll never know if there really was anything walking around the building when the sun went down or if it was all an urban legend.
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http://eskify.com/10-creepy-russian-legends/
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https://www.quotev.com/story/9037386/Scary-Urban-Legends/28
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http://strangeandcreepy.com/the-black-volga/
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https://www.ranker.com/list/russia-ghost-stories-urban-legends/jacobybancroft
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https://www.reddit.com/r/creepy/comments/31wekc/khovrinka_the_abandoned_hospital_at_khovrino/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6i9JtTp_dc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8o2uaSxNsI
About the Creator
Mr. Davis
Horror-centric YouTuber who's looking to branch out a small bit. We'll try this out and see how it goes!
YouTube Page: https://goo.gl/eab66m
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