The forts on the military island of Kronshtadt are a menacing sight whose purpose it was to immediately frighten potential enemies, causing them to think twice before attacking. Such fortresses were built at different times throughout the 18th and 19th centuries with one goal in mind – to protect the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg, from maritime attacks. Each of the island’s forts can be distinguished by its number or name – often that of a Russian emperor, statesman or engineer. One amazing and shocking fact is that over the 300-year military history of Kronshtadt’s defense, enemies only made it through these barriers once. One of the fortifications, Emperor Alexander the First, is known in Russian history not for its military achievements, but its medical ones. For almost 20 years this fortress served as the location of an isolated laboratory where scientists worked on a serum to fight the plague. RTG TV host Igor Maximenko visited a number of Kronshtadt’s many forts and discovered the important roles that each one played in Russian history.