Moscow’s Cold War site evokes the unthinkable

David Filipov/Globe Staff

The Cold War museum at Bunker-42 on Taganka has been letting its visitors touch off nuclear warfare for years, a show that seemed — until recently — a script from another time.

David Filipov/Globe Staff

In the wake of recent events in Russia and Ukraine, it’s a reminder of the worst that could happen when tensions boil over.

David Filipov/Globe Staff

Tour guide Fyodor Belousov demonstrated a model of a Soviet atomic bomb.

David Filipov/Globe Staff

Belousov moved through a corridor in the museum, which is located in a Cold War-era underground bunker that was designed to withstand a nuclear attack on Moscow.

David Filipov/Globe Staff

“You can imagine how hard it was to be here when the world was on the brink and any second nuclear war could break out,” Belousov said.