Europe News
The Russian army loves its NATO loot (Feature)
By Stefan Korshak Aug 14, 2008, 16:07 GMT
Gori/Tbilisi - The troopers of Russia's 58th Army, fresh from chasing their US-trained Georgian opponents out of South Ossetia, are just in love with their NATO-issue loot.
'Check out this war trophy,' a T-62 tank commander named Viktor proudly pointed out to a Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reporter. 'A real NATO-standard bayonet!'
Russia's soldiers currently occupying the Gori district of northern Georgia - abandoned by the Georgian army without a shot - are festooned with personal military kit previously owned by their enemy Georgia, whose government is intent on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Some soldiers, like Viktor, chose to obtain just a souvenir. One of the most popular formerly Georgian military items now in Russian hands is a spiffy black-handled knife.
Viktor's mates said the weapon, sometimes issued in a snappy leg holster, is suitable for locking onto a US M-16 automatic rifle sold to Georgia, and holds a great edge.
'There were piles of them in the depot over there,' said a sergeant name Oleg, pointing with his thumb to a plume of smoke rising from behind a hill. 'The Georgians just ran, they didn't even take their (expletive deleted) stuff with them.'
The Georgian city of Gori was, until approximately the third day of the Ossetia war, the site of a Georgian infantry brigade base. Much of its supplies, the Russians said, were NATO standard in keeping with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's enthusiasm for 'Western integration.'
Unfortunately for Saakashvili, Russian armoured columns tipped with weather-beaten tanks crewed by men like Oleg and Viktor rumbled into Georgia proper on day four of the war and proceeded to demolish the base.
Saakashvili's media spin machine kicked into high gear, accusing the Russians of violating ceasefire terms (almost certainly) and systematically looting the Georgian countryside (of which independent observers have found little evidence.)
But the Kremlin and the men of the 58th Army paid little attention, and according to other troopers interviewed the Georgian army base at Gori became sort of a free military accoutrements shopping mart for discerning Russian soldiers interested in the latest in combat style.
Russian soldiers guarding access routes to Gori, on Thursday, were proudly wearing a remarkably wide selection of 'personal items' more commonly seen on soldiers wearing US or other NATO uniforms.
Highly popular among the Russians was US-issue 'web gear,' a torso harness used for hanging useful things like bandage packets, ropes, ammunition pouches stamped with 'US,' olive drab flashlights, and canteens.
One Russian soldier riding in a BMP armored personnel carrier had grabbed US-issue web gear with an mobile phone intact, left there by its former Georgian owner.
A BMP gunner describing himself as an 'average Siberian guy' had hung his newly-acquired web gear on his vehicle's turret door, just like veteran US soldiers in US-made turrets in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Much of the Georgian-bought equipment now in Russian hands had little military value: reflective sunglasses similar to US Iraq desert issue, camouflage utility vests designed for NATO grenades and so not really suitable for Russian grenades, and the venerable US Army web belt, holding up dozens of pairs of baggy camouflaged Russian trousers.
But some of the gear made its new Russian owner an undeniably more survivable soldier: Kevlar vests and helmets, flares, and medical kits - all lighter, easier to use, and harder to break than the Russian counterpart - were among the booty now being worn.
As a general rule, the 58th Army's non-commissioned officers - veterans of Chechnya with at least a couple of years of service and sometimes more - got first pick. Privates mostly wore standard Russian army issue, as did officers.
'It's something to take home, to show your friends, to remember your service days when you get old,' a corporal said. 'It shows we were victorious.'
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Older Talkback
page: 1
This tax paying American veteran is thankful the Russians are standing up to the neocon nuts now running my country.
'This tax paying American veteran'
I doubt you are any of those.
'is thankful the Russians are standing up to the neocon nuts now running my country.'
So when Russia murders thousands of Georgians they are somehow standing up to the 'neocons'. Pretty stupid...
I'm a retired Engineer who paid taxes all of my life, also a Korean veteran, and I also thank Russia for stopping these crazy people in charge of the USA.
As a Russian journalist who is free to say and write whatever I think, I certainly appreciate the comments of support from these intelligent Americans.
Good luck with the nuts in control of your government.
They got American gear, but were any American advisors or 'contractors' captured? I read on another site that they were actually directing the Georgian assault.
All this reminds me of 1924. Burning of villages, looting, destroying post offices and schools. The Ukraine is next. Such a proud and expansionistic nation are the Russian Slav(e)s.
I give two hearty thumbs up to Russia for standing up to the blatant and ongoing american agressions. america has no business stirring up trouble in russias back yard. They have been pushing boundries, real and moraly, for years now. About time someone finally stood up to americas illegal group of thugs!
The media reports here in the west are absolutely sad. We are getting nothing but hyped up anti russia propoganda here...even though the real thruth is out there, and available for all to search out and find. On a side note...it's no wonder the western powers want to start chaining up the internet from the commoners...it's not to protect us from all those 'evil' boobies...it's to control all information.
To the us...I say, shut your hypocritical mouths for once. Your leaders and your worldwide threats and admonishments hold no sway any longer. The world can get by without your money, your SUV's and your BigMacs. Shove em up your fat, loud arses.
To Russia...I say, keep your heads up, and keep fighting the good fight. The world KNOWS who the real terrorists are, they wear the stars and stripes.
Bush did to Iraq what the Soviet Union did to Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe - only unlike Eastern Europe the Iraqis never surrendered. When your own favorite socialists in the White House stop their own little wars of colonization then you can talk about how the Russian socialists are pounding on the poor Georgian socialists.
Congrats to the Russkie grunts for a job well done. The NATO gear is nice to have, enjoy. BTW, I am a US Desert Storm veteran. Hooo-ahhh!!!!
me a veteren of the usa forces too and i too am thinking that the usa bad and the Russians are goodley. Me amerikan all of me lively and Russia number 1!
'I'm a retired Engineer who paid taxes all of my life,'
You are senile and a good case for euthanasia then.
'also a Korean veteran,'
So you are Korean? Or you fought in the Korean conflict? Or perhaps just a liar.
'I also thank Russia for stopping these crazy people in charge of the USA.'
Russia stood up to the 'crazy people' by murdering thousands of Georgians. You are a complete moron.
Anyone who thinks that murdering Georgians is somehow standing up to anything American is too stupid breathe.
To the retired Engineer and to good ol' Mike who cheers for the Russians and loves that they loot from the country he once served, you are formally invited to leave.
I bet I could even get enough money together to pay for your tickets.
I hated everything about Clinton but supported any military actions that he and the joint chiefs felt were in our best interest.
This is what makes conservative good Americans different from the likes of you two (ahem) gentlemen. You proudly shout your praise for countries that are obviously our foes (NO MATTER WHO OUR PRESIDENT IS) and you do this JUST because someone is in the White House who does not share your party politics.
(I bet you are rooting for Iran as well right... I bet you think that they deserve to have thousands of nuclear bombs...just like those old dirty neocons in the White House)
I beg you, if you want to make America a better country, please take me up on my aforementioned offer. I would even gladly come and pack your bags for you.
Tax paying veteran Todd.
Russia set a trap and the foolish presidents of Georgia and America fell into it. This disaster is another example of the incompentence of the worst president in American history, George Bush. It has reminded the world of two things. 1)Russia is back and shown itself as it has always been; aggressive, brutal, anti-democratic and led by yet another dictator. 2) The Western world is being led by an Idiot. God help us all.
To Todd and the other mindless sheeple 'Amerikans' that support the US govt. now matter what and troll the internet, F__k off! The USA was established by honest Christian men to make a replublic safe for life, liberty and property rights. Sheeple like you, Todd, helped the USA become the USSA, a godless commie cancer on the world.
The best thing to do now is tell the kids NOT to join the military and stop all money flows into D.C. Hooo-ahhh!
I'm a Viet Name era veteran of the USAF and I too am glad to hear other American veterans come out for the truth. I want the Russian people to know that many Americans know what happened in South Ossetia. We know that Mikhail Saakashvili started this war. We know that his military was he was armed and trained by the USA and Israel. And when we analyze the events in our heart of hearts we know that George Bush must have given the nod for the attack.
Please understand that our country, the USA, is being run by madmen. They started a war in Iraq based on lies. Many of them, in the Congress no less, want to attack Iran with nuclear weapons. In both cases the zionist neo-cons in the Bush administration and American press are urging them on. Let the Russian and American people hope and pray we can both survive the next six months.
And I want to say one more thing. I have always supported the US military. I just hate the people that send them into proxy wars for Israel and securing oil corporation interests. Let the Israelis fight their own wars. If the oil companies want oil, let them buy it without having the US government militarily trash the countries that have it.
This is what Americans bought for $2 Billion in American Taxpayer dollars.
Since 2004 the US Government has been involved in training and supplying Georgia's Military and supporting its Government(which has no problem with shooting rubber bullets and sonic weapons at Opposition protesters). This year the Georgian Military Budget was a record $1 Billion, for a country with $15 Billion National GDP. It is not difficult to guess that this money did not come from Georgian Taxpayers.
This is a case of fighting a conflict with Proxy Forces, it does not benefit the US Taxpayer when his/her money is spent to arm soldiers of foreign Governments. That money can be used for more useful purposes, like repairing bridges.
And the claims of Russians looting Georgian villagers are laughable, Georgians are poorer than the poorest Russians. For the most part Russians wanted revenge, not against Georgians, but their leader Mikhail Saakashvili, who does not even care about his own citizens. He sent his soldiers in a frontal attack against fortified Ossetian positions during the night without caring how many would die. He only cares that he keep receiving money from the US, otherwise he is a coward. The Ossetian leader Kokoity fought on the frontline, Saakashvili hid behind a TV camera.
I too am Amerikan vet and i too agree that we should just bow to our glorious soviet overlords because I too am actually a idiotik kos kid kossak who likes to play pretend on the internets.
Actually Yakov would never write such a thing, he remembers what the soviets were like. The eastern europeans as well, now Georgia.
You ask: 'but were any American advisors or 'contractors' captured?'
No they weren't. The frightened little chickenshits out ran the Georgians.
Anybody that claims to be a member of the US military should know what the word neocon is used for, and every single one that I know (many!) would leap at a chance to punch anybody right out that used that word to describe his/her POTUS.
'Never met a single one who felt sympathy for russian/chechen muggers.
Lot's of posers on this page. Kos kiddies.
Little slips in your military context gives you away as decievers.
You ain't foolin' anyone exept each other.
I've read this stuff here completely through several times, nothing from the UN even mentions it, unlike the 12 years of UN procrastination the world endured before the coalition closed the case on saddam hussein and his cozy oil for palaces deal he had going with moscow.
There's those that STILL call it a 'rush to war', but then, how long did the russians hold debate before deploying their chechen goblins?
'We don't need no steenkeeng mandate! There's oil and a warm water port down there!'
The G8 are really jerked at them too now.
This page doesn't allow links, to search:
But then, just like most thugs, why would the russians even ask permission? It's simply not their way. The US should consider this strategy, and forget getting world permission to protect themselves.
Russian style is the new, old way, and it works.
What mugger ever asked before robbing anyone?
Hey, remember this one? 'No blood for oil!'
page: 1
Arthur RamblerAug 15th, 2008 - 06:06:59
The US media (and government) is becoming more and more like the Soviet media (and government) of the old days. Their Russophobia reminds of the anti-Americanism of the Soviet leaders and media hacks. When war criminal Saakashvili kills Ossetian women and children and destroys Tskhinvali and numerous villages, that is downplayed. But when Russia defends the Ossetians as it should, then the dirty media hacks start crying about 'Russian imperialism'. Congratulations, America - you are becoming the new Soviet Union!
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