"So who needs a tank?" Topic

Sorry if this has already been posted elsewhere but the article just floored me and speaks volumes about the Russian military.

link

Just seen the article today that it was "planned relocation" ;)
I guess the guard was sleeping in one of these tanks when journalists made their film – we had very similar incident when relocating howitzers/BMP years ago.
Anyway you should be afraid of us as we don't really need these relatively modern 200 tanks…
I was always wondering why the army spent zillion of roubles of keeping ancient stuff in working order,keeping stockpiles of uniform and ammo, all these plans of drafting millions in times of conflict… I guess it doesn't work like this anymore….

Oh, a tank here, a tank there, pretty soon you're talking about some real armor. Some nascent Russian warlord stockpiling for the big push?

I thought i saw a t-72 with chinese pattern sawtooth skirts in the RT story.Hopefully enough local duraks climbed in and out of them to deposit enough gravel to jam the carousels.The repairs will teach them to put their toys away more carefully next time they want to play army.

In the late 80's, one of our big tactical intel goals was to get a look inside a T-72. Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down and German unification was just around the corner, one of our military observers just across the border in E. Germany befriended a Soviet tank company commander on maneuvers and offered a bribe to look inside one of his T-72s. The officer said he could not agree without approval of his battalion and regimental commanders. A couple hours later, all 3 officers showed up with a tank on a transporter and accepted the bribe, then they and the transport crew left! Through a mistranslation of an American trying to speak German to a Russian, the Russian company commander misunderstood and thought they were selling him the tank. The officer quickly drove the transport the couple miles into West Germany.

…an embarrassing scandal after 200 of its tanks were found abandoned near a forest in central Russia, unguarded and unlocked.

At least the keys weren't in the ignition.

A military spokesman claimed the tanks were in fact being guarded by special patrols

Patrol is SO special, you cannot even SEE them patrolling. Is new secret invisible patrol.

Yuri

@ Cold Steel: Man, that is a flippin' great story! You win over 9000 Internets!

In post Soviet Russia, tank guards YOU!

No live ammo? Why bother stealing that?

@ Cold Steel yes that was an excellent story.

Bongolesia needs some more tanks.

Cold Steel,
Things weren't so friendly in 1985,
<<USMLM Army officer Major Arthur D. Nicholson, Jr. is killed by a Russian soldier near Ludwigslust, East Germany. Maj Nicholson, Jr. and Army Sergeant Jessie Schatz were performing official liaison functions, as allowed in the Huebrner-Malinin Agreement, in a non-restricted area when he was shot in cold blood by a Soviet conscript. Senior Soviet officers debated their predicament in a cowardly fashion, and with their usual disregard for human life, at the site while disallowing anyone to provide first aid treatment to Major Nicholson. Frequent requests by Sergeant Schatz to provide medical treatment to his officer were repeatedly denied. Nick was promoted posthumously to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and is buried in Section 7-A of Arlington National Cemetery.>>

Major Nicholson had been inside a motorpool taking pictures of a T-72 (to include interior). He was shot either as he was or had climbed back over the perimeter fence. The sentry prevented the driver from rendering first aid and Major Nicholson bled to death.

As per numbers this might be worn out units going to bunkerize chinese border albiet in div mass.

Major Mike, yes, I remember MAJ Nicholson's murder.

I remeber Maj Nicholsons murder very well. I was in west Germany at the time. We wanted to find a SMLM so bad, and park a M577 on top of them. Probably a bad idea, but we where young and excitable. And I find as I sit here and type this I am still a bit anrgy about it.