Russia opens military office in Laos, T-72B and BRDM-2M parade through Vientiane.

Russia’s Head of the Directorate General for international military cooperation Aleksandr Klimovsky stated that Moscow had opened a military office in Laos while at the parade in the country’s capital of Vientiane on Sunday 20 January 2019.

The recently delivered T-72B1s (left) parade for the first time in Vientiane (Picture source: Russian MoD)

Russia’s T-72B tanks and BRDM-2M amphibious armored patrol vehicles featured in a parade on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Lao People’s Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "The military parade on occasion of the 70th anniversary since the founding of the Lao People’s Armed Forces featured the Russian military equipment, which was put into service in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Among the represented items were T-72 modernized tanks and BRDM-2M armored vehicles," it said.

Russia is supplying military equipment to Laos in accordance with the agreements reached during the visit to the country of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in January 2018. Under an agreement between the two countries, a representative office of the Russian Defense Ministry was opened in Laos’ capital of Vientiane. It will expand military-technical cooperation, training of Lao military in Russia, Russian consultations in the buildup of Lao armed forces, operation and engagement of arms and hardware. The 2019 bilateral cooperation plan envisages over 20 events. 

Laotian army top leaders parading in Chinese-made BAIC 4x4 vehicles (Picture source: Russian MoD)