Secrets of Subačius terminal: a postal box name, armed firefighters and vows of silence

During the Soviet era, the Subačius liquid energy products terminal was a highly secret facility, known only by a postal box code rather than its real name, reports LRT.lt. Construction was overseen from Riga, and workers who entered the barbed-wire enclosed site were bound by strict confidentiality agreements—any leaks risked dismissal and unwanted attention from Soviet security forces.

Today, the terminal remains critical, housing a state fuel reserve sufficient for 30 days. Operated by the special-purpose company KN Energies, the facility ensures fuel supply for state services and civilians in times of need. Defense-related fuel reserves are stored elsewhere, with their locations kept classified.

Arnoldas Būga, who has led the terminal since 2012, states that the state reserve grows annually, calculated based on Lithuania’s average fuel consumption. However, the reserves are not stored in a single location, as that would be “too unwise.”

Construction of the terminal in Kunčiai village began in 1963, with 22 massive 5,000 cubic meter storage tanks, underground pipelines, pumping stations, and a railway branch completed by the end of the following year. The infrastructure was essential for receiving and distributing oil products, serving not only Lithuania but also Latvia and Estonia.

To maintain secrecy, the facility was assigned code names—first “Postal Box No. 340” under the Riga-based construction command, later “Postal Box P-6478” for the Subačius oil product storage. The first director, Jonas Grigas, was soon replaced under Communist Party orders, which mandated Russian-speaking directors only.

Workers were housed in a separate settlement and forbidden from disclosing details about their work. “Everyone signed a pledge not to talk about where they worked, what they did, or how much they earned,” recalls Česlovas Karaliūnas, the terminal’s chief engineer with 36 years of service. “People called it different things—some said they worked ‘in the little forest,’ others ‘in the small square.’ There were many security officers, so everyone knew the consequences for leaks—interrogations would follow.”

After Lithuania regained independence, the terminal was preserved and modernized, continuing to fulfill its strategic role.