Russia puts tanks and missiles back in Red Square parade

[onehandle]

Source: AP

MOSCOW - Russia showcased its military might and youthful new president to the world Friday, as heavy tanks and missile launchers rumbled across Red Square in a Victory Day parade for the first time since the Soviet era.

In a nationally broadcast speech two days after his inauguration, President Dmitry Medvedev avoided the bellicose rhetoric of his mentor and predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who drew parallels between United States and Nazi Germany during last year's parade.

However, in his speech marking victory over Adolf Hitler's Germany, the 42-year-old Medvedev said the history of World War II demonstrated that military conflicts are rooted in "irresponsible ambitions which prevail over interests of nations and entire continents."

"We must not allow contempt for the norms of international law," he said, in what sounded like veiled criticism of the United States and its Western allies.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_re_eu/russia_victory_day

[hatrack]

1. 80s Nostalgia - It's not just for VH1 any more!

"Putin reveals nightmarish descent into booze, ICBMs and drugs!"

[ohio2007]

4. the hardware put on parade dates to the 60's/70's

Thats gotta tell ya something

[havocmom]

2. message to cheney re Iran?

Someone HAS to contain cheney's madness.

[Adsos Letter]

3. I wonder how battle-ready Russia's military actually is at this point...

fielding units for a parade is one thing...deploying them successfully across distance, and having them function well in combat for any length of time once there, is quite another matter.

Just curious...I'm sure someone will educate me on this one.

[hack89]

8. They have a very limited ability to project power

they neglected their military for almost 20 years - it will take a long time to modernize to western standards.

[Xipe Totec]

5. So what?

We have Civil War re-enactments here,



Why not Cold war re-enactments there?

Lenin shall rise again!



:rofl:

[Barrett808]

6. Just like the old days.

Strangely comforting.

[shadowknows69]

7. Bush's legacy-Restarting the Cold War

Thanks you AWOL asshole. I had my last nuclear attack nightmares under Reagan. Thanks for the sleepless nights.

[Peterquagmire]

9. Bush wont' mess with them

Because he doesn't mess with countries with nukes.

[onager]

10. The Russian tank program would make a good comedy mini-series...

A couple of the biggest Russian tank plants are unfortunately located in the Ukraine, which of course became independent after Russia fell apart.

Flush with new-found capitalism, the Ukranians started competing with Russia to sell upgraded T-72 tanks on the intertational market.

Russia struck back by refusing to sell engines and other critical parts to their former comrades. The Ukranians just got what they needed elsewhere, including their OTHER comrades in China.

The T-72's complex and cranky automatic loading system inspired a lot of black humor in the Red Army. Shells were extracted from a magazine at the bottom of the turret, then shoved into the gun breech by a hydraulic rammer.

As it turned out, the system would also try to load anything it could grab into the gun breech, including crew members.

Russian tankers joked that it was easy to identify former T-72 crewmen. If a man was missing his left arm, he had been a tank commander. If he was missing his right arm, he had been a gunner.

Another joke said T-72 crewmen provided all the sopranos for the Red Army Choir.

Some other humor originated in the U.S. Army. One upgraded T-72 version had big armored bulges on the front of the turret, so it was naturally named the "Dolly Parton." An Army general complained that he never wanted to hear that term again. When the next upgrade came out with even more armor, he must have been delighted to see it designated the "Super Dolly Parton." At least by the troops.