Last year, Bato B. * († 25) and his team won the World Tank Biathlon Championship. They won against 19 other countries. At the Alabino military base near Moscow, the gunner fired at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour without missing a single target.
In war games, B. was considered a tank ace, but he did not survive the real war – he was fatally hit by a Ukrainian tank.
Unsuccessful modernization
Bato B. came from the autonomous Russian Republic of Buryatia. When the war broke out, he was sent to Ukraine with a tank battalion of the 37th Rifle Brigade. Seven weeks have passed since his death – his body was sent back to the family for burial on Friday. The rescue took a long time.
The high Russian losses in Ukraine show that a large part of the armed forces was probably not ready for a real war. “The death of Bato B. is a gloomy confirmation that a tank biathlon and real war are completely different things,” says the Russian “Volya Media”.
As reported by the Daily Mail, an anonymous Russian military expert also criticized the Putin government. He is responsible for the unsuccessful modernization of his own tanks. These shortcomings would have contributed to an earlier defeat of the war.
prestigious event
Tank biathlon competitions in Russia are considered important events of military prestige. It’s all about accuracy and speed. The competition is also popular with the Russian authorities, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (66). The event has been held annually since 2013.
But the rivalry between Western military powers is sought in vain. The participants are China, Serbia, Syria, Iran and Mongolia.
* Name known