Thirty T-34 World War 2 tanks presented by Laos to Russia arrived in Moscow region.

As Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov announce, the tanks will be placed at the disposal of the Kantemirov division. According to him, tank crews will start training for the Victory Parade in the near future. Moreover, combat vehicles will participate in historical TV and movie projects. Whenever the train stopped from Vladivostok, it was greeted by orchestras and marching troops.

Laos transferred thirty T-34 main battle tanks to Russia. Their arrival in Naro-Fominsk, 80km (50 miles) from the capital, has been greeted by an impressive parade. (Picture source: Russian MoD)

"As instructed by the Russian Defence Minister, the Chief of the General Staff ordered to established the T-34 battalion. The battalion will station in Naro-Fominsk, in the 4th Guard Kantemirov division", stated Vladimir Zavadsky, the commander of the division. According to him, the battalion will be ready to perform its tasks from March 1.

These thirty T-34 tanks were in fact manufactured in Czechoslovakia during the 1950's. Until recently, they were on active duty in the Laotian military, almost 80 years after first being introduced into the Soviet military in 1940. The T-34/76 (76.2mm gun), later T-34/85 (85mm gun), was the backbone of Soviet armored units in World War II and beyond. Some 57,000 were built before the Wolrd War 2 in Europe officially ended on 7 May 1945. T-34 production continued into the Cold War, with more than 80,000 produced in all. Thousands were exported around the world. "The equipment transferred by Laos is planned to be used during the Victory Parades in various cities of Russia, for updating museum exhibits, as well as for making historical films about the Great Patriotic War," the Russian Defense Ministry said. 

The T-34s were even blessed by a pope (Picture source: Russian MoD)