On the Caspian shore just north of Derbent, a giant Soviet aircraft has been beached since the 1990s and slowly rusting into one of the most remarkable abandoned-vehicle sights in the world. The Lun is a "ground effect vehicle" — a craft that flies just a few metres above the water's surface, effectively riding the cushion of compressed air between its wings and the sea. It is roughly the size of a 747 but was designed to skim at low altitude rather than climb to cruising height.
Built in the late 1980s and armed with six anti-ship cruise missiles, the Lun was intended to attack aircraft carrier groups at speed in the Caspian. The end of the Cold War made it redundant before it ever saw combat, and it has been sitting on the beach ever since — too expensive to move, too distinctive to demolish. Getting to it requires a short taxi ride north of the city. Access has varied over the years, but the craft is visible from the shore and close enough to walk around.