Russia’s largest film studio has donated dozens of its Soviet-era tanks, which were previously used as props on film sets, to Russian troops, Mosfilm CEO Karen Shakhnazarov told President Vladimir Putin.
Mosfilm owns a large fleet of military vehicles and artillery pieces, including those “disguised” to look like foreign equipment, according to its website.
During Wednesday’s meeting with Putin in the Kremlin, Shakhnazarov, an acclaimed Soviet and Russian filmmaker, said that the studio had decided to share some of its stocks with the Defense Ministry.
“I became aware that there was a need, and had contacted the Defense Ministry. They took the vehicles,” Shakhnazarov told Putin.
According to the filmmaker, last year the studio donated 28 T-55 medium tanks, eight PT-76 amphibious tanks, six BMP armored vehicles, and eight unspecified recovery vehicles. He did not specify how the equipment would be used.
Mosfilm provided 6 million rubles ($61,000) “for the needs of…