Russian Tanks
| THE CZECH DAILY WORD EXCLUSIVE / updated on July 22-23 |
Forty years ago, in August 1968, Warsaw Pact armies, especially the Soviet Red Army invaded then Czechoslovakia in order to halt Prague Spring reforms. The occupation lasted for many years and the last Russian soldier left the county in 1990.
Eighteen years later it becomes apparent that some vehicles have not been scrapped. I managed to find some.
Some of them are parked in the town of Olomouc. In an old Czech Army compound…
As you can see on a detail, the Russian signs are still visible! After eighteen years. I do speak some Russian but I can not seem to decode that sign:
The entire facility is a mess and it is obvious that is is unkempt, unused and you can tell by looking if you walk around that the buildings are months from collapsing.
… as you can see on this Maps.cz satellite image…
It is obvious that the Czech Army’s idea of good management is non existent. The facility is guarded by unarmed private security agency employees. There are no MP’s, no sentry towers, just old barbed wire.
So in other words, this is not a wall of an old house where an old Russian slogan would remain for years. This is a facility that a NATO-member military institution shall have done something about years ago.
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UPDATE JULY 22: Walking around the fence, you can see another row of tanks, these are most definitely Czech. But as for the aforementioned mess that the Czech Army is known for, notice the blue barrel ON THE ROOF on the right-hand side…
And since there are no “Do Not Enter” signs, and since there are some big holes in the fence slash wall, I will try to get closer on Saturday…
News and comments on both Czech and global issues, made and written by Petr Bokuvka, a translator and journalist with previous professional experience in newspaper editing, radio broadcasting and TV news reporting.
Very interesting post and pictures, Petr. I never would have imagined that there are still Soviet tanks in the Czech Republic. I hope sooner than later something will be done about it. Good reporting!
This “something” to be done is to transport it to Třinecké železárny or to Nová Huť – how about this?
Yeah, no army on this planet has got any idea of good managment (maybe except Swiss Army, LOL!)- anyway, what would you expect from people who’s real profession is to kill or to die?
Dear Sirs i came across your article about russian tanks ie this case olomouc.
these tanks are in the hands of a privite company i myself have been in this x base all is being sold off in some cases have been , there are a few companies that sell these items ,i myself brocker such items to collectors etc etc in fact if my memory serves me right the company controlling these items mostly is http://www.excaliburarmy.cz ,,a few years ago buisness was good,in that american collectors were buying along with us british,however today no ,,due to the crisis in the markets..they also use these tanks to break for parts or scrap again scrap prices have fallen ,,i would guess that there is currently 500 tanks available other tracked and wheeled materail 700 for sale ,now thats not including the firearms that goes into thousands ,,
now the law also says that some materail can only be sold to export and in other cases only within cz
i do hope this makes things clear.
Guys — I recently spoke to a fellow journalist in Olomouc who told me that THIS particular part of the entire yard is indeed still owned by the army and there is a public tender in process. The place will be sold soon to developers who plan to build a brand new subdivision there (apparently you know Olomouc a little, so this is next to the Baumax DIY store at Velkomoravska Street)… Petr B
I came across this article just accidentaly but I have to say that these tanks on picture 1 are probably post-1968 which means they weren’t part of the initial occupation. They seems more like old tanks from Czechoslovak army (probably ready to be destroyed or recycled) and the sign written in Cyrillic is not on the tanks, but on the train behind, which is more likely to come from Russia, because trains are more likely to travel such distance whereas tanks are not. At least for me it seems logic but as anyone knows, that (post-1968) time had no sense same as the people ruling that part of the world.
Jonas: the tanks in the foreground ARE INDEED Czechoslovak tanks. The Russian sign is painted on a truck and some Russian tanks are in the background where my lens could not reach.
Yes, all the tanks in this compound are to be destroyed. I am just surprised that among the Czech tanks that had been decommissioned some time in late 1990’s there are tanks and other vehicles that had been used by the Russians.
The Red Army was here from 1968 till 1990 so it is safe to say that the tanks did not play their part in the initial 1968 occupation. Nevertheless, they should have been destroyed YEARS ago.
Nice post dude
Important Information to all !!!!!!
Dear all.
This dealer in Czech/Croatia area known as ‘Grant Ryeback’ is a big scam artist and a big con man. He scammed me personally out off €4850.00 for ex military goods purchased but not received. He also scammed another collector from the USA out of $10000.00 for a ex military vehicle not received and a dealer in the UK he scammed out of £8500.00 for a shipment of collectors arms he never received.
Please be warned this dealer operates under false company information, contact information and prays on the honest public to manipulate and defraud the public and collectors/dealers financially.
The UK police has been notified regarding this dealer Mr Grant Ryeback and his fraudulent activities and he is being investigated.
Regards.
Bernhard