Revealed: Hundreds of rusting tanks abandoned in secret Ukrainian depot

New Delhi: These incredible photographs show a huge tank graveyard in the Ukraine - home to hundreds of the abandoned vehicles which the country may desperately need if tensions with Russia continue to escalate. Prior to the collapse of Soviet Union this depot used to overhaul 60 tanks and 55 engines a month. With Russia's superior military invading Crimea, maybe now is the time the Ukrainian government dusted off these tanks in a forgotten military graveyard. These photographs were taken by intrepid explorer Patvel Itkin, 18, who after hearing about the strange Soviet cemetery from a friend spent months trying find its whereabouts. Despite the disused area being monitored by guards, the spirited snapper managed to sneak in and document the neglected necropolis. Once a thriving tank repair plant, the depot has since become redundant, meaning the bulky vehicles now remain abandoned. This series of pictures paints a gloomy picture — tons and tons of tanks wasting away.Filled with rows upon rows of slowly rusting relics, the once deadly war machines now lie dormant in a secret depot in the town of Kharkiv in the Slobozhanshchyna region of eastern Ukraine - just 20 miles from the border with RussiaAfter hearing about the strange Soviet-era tank cemetery from a friend, photographer Patvel Itkin, 18, spent months trying find its whereaboutsDespite the disused area being monitored by guards, Itkin managed to sneak in and take several photographs of the neglected storage centre. Here dozens of old tank engines and other bits of machinery sit rotting on the factory floorOnce a thriving tank repair plant, the depot has since become redundant, meaning the once-deadly vehicles are now abandonedPhotographer Pavel Itkin said: 'It took me many months to track down this place, I had heard about it from a friend and decided it would be a great place to take pictures'The area around the plant is heavily guarded but Mr Itkin says he didn't see anyone when he got there. He thinks he was 'just lucky' not to be seenPavel Itkin says once he got inside the plant he was able to walk around undisturbed for about two hours. He described the plant as 'stunning'Just imagine over 400 tanks in one place, row after row of them.' The 18-year-old described him as 'amazed' by the scale of the depotDuring its prime in the 1960s, the plant repaired more than 60 tanks and 55 engines per month, but work on the site ground to a halt after the fall of the Soviet Union