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Why did the T-90 cross the road? The answer may surprise you!


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Quite some time ago, one or more of us posted the rather shocking video shot practically at the Uralvagonzavod factory at Nizhny Tagil in which a T-90 roars in from nowhere from right, crosses the road practically in front of a car, then races away to the image left. This went viral in Russia, generating a huge outcry, and was widely viewed elsewhere in the world. Turns out there was more to the story than I'm sure most of us imagined. 

https://www.rt.com/news/tank-video-traffic-urals-green-light-909/

On a separate note, would someone please provide the related link for video shot from the parking lot of Uralvagonzavod with the T16 Armata Heavy IFV and several other AFVs in short column and moving image left to right? It, too, was a winter video. Would like to send it to my youngest brother after he's had a chance to absorb the one above.

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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Wicky,

Your usual Kettler bashing notwithstanding, that's a great story. Would imagine the Kuwaiti government (or is it a bank or insurer?) has already filed legal demands for the return of the gold. Hope the finders get some sort of reward at least (which Inland Revenue will be happy to tax) and that the guy who sold the tank will indeed get his pint. I'd buy him one even if I got nothing as the new tank owner. 

Regards,

John Kettler

 

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'Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' if you don't mind...

Depends if gold is marked enabling a paper trail back to wherever it was originally pilfered from, if not then it would llikely fall under 'Treasure trove' which would belong to the Crown, in which case the finders may be entitled to a firkin of pittance as a reward.

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Erwin,

There was indeed more to it, exactly as stated. I did carefully formulate the title so that people would would be intrigued enough to see what the post was about. All I knew prior to reading the article was seeing just the video. On the video, it looked to me like the tank came racing up from the right, went thundering across the road, then plunged down the embankment and out of sight in a flurry of snow thrown up by the tracks. Had no idea there was a intersection there at all. At the time, I simply chalked it up to the hazards of being right on the doorstep of Uralvagonzavod now, Uralmash then, a place which during the Cold War I occasionally got to see in small format satellite photos which I guarantee you weren't at full res. Even so, we could see the vast pavement onto which the finished tanks were driven and parked, as well as the dark, small forms of the individual tanks themselves. It was stomach turning scary stuff, for they had hundreds of tanks out there at a time. Sure, shipments by rail would whittle things down a bit, but ere long that sprawling pavement would once again have hordes of tanks. Am still having trouble coming to terms with the idea of being able to drive right past the place, never mind into the parking lot and taking videos, as was the case with that string of new AFVs I mentioned. Astounding stuff to someone who did what I did so long ago.

Back then, Nizhny Tagil was a place spoken of with a combination of dread and a kind of reverence combined. It was, after all, one of the key weapon manufacturing facilities in all of Russia, the one which churned out tanks on a scale which made those of us who could see them parked and awaiting delivery gag. I sure did. We were facing some 50,000 Russian tanks alone in Western Europe had the balloon ever gone up, and we knew full well what was pouring out of Nizhny Tagil was much nastier than what was already in the field. To us it was a kind of perverse cornucopia that produced tanks and other AFVs in seemingly endless quantities. And this was before we realized how screwed we were on both ends of the armor/anti-armor situation!

Regards,

John Kettler

 

Edited by John Kettler
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