Before the 2023 parade. Omsk.
On the morning of May 9, I returned to Omsk again.
Предыдущий репортаж: Rehearsal for the 2023 parade. Omsk
The good thing about being at the dress rehearsal is that when it comes to the actual parade, you kind of already know everything. Specifically, where the vehicles are parked. Remember the tank tracks on the asphalt—that’s how I tracked them!
I don’t know about you, but at 6 a.m. I dream of a cup of coffee. This guy agrees with me.
And so it happened that military equipment and coffee were combined in space and time. The 24-hour Café Santino provided me with the coveted drink
and a great view from their balcony.
I didn’t sit there all the time, but periodically went down and admired the military equipment up close.
Although there were restrictions there too: you can’t just walk up and take point-blank photos of equipment that people are actively fussing around.
And they bustled about there quite a bit! Right down to polishing the rollers and wheels, polishing the cabins and flashing beacons,
and even polishing tank barrels.
I must say I was carried away by such zeal, and since it was extremely early, I went ahead and ordered a couple of dozen servings of freshly brewed coffee for the warriors. I hope this gave them some energy.
By the way, the tanks looked very epic.
Like: grandfather and grandson.
A short photo run following real signs of (minor) wear on the chassis.
But not everyone was given such a responsible and honorable job. Some of the warriors were quite relaxed,
and in general in the form of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War.
Some, especially the savvy ones, kept the weapons entrusted to them covered. At the right moment, they took it out – and voila!
From time to time I ran out to see what was going on in the square.
There was also military equipment there and it was also being looked after by soldiers.
It’s just that both the technology and the warriors were much older. As it later became clear, they were all members of the local patriotic club.
I reached the square and made sure that it was quiet and calm there.
Then I came back.
So, with all this walking, I missed the moment when the equipment was leaving. Especially the T-34!
It was a shame. I was offended. And I left.
In fact, I wanted to get home before dark, and there were still more than 600 kilometers to go. However, somewhere on the outskirts of the city, I was drawn by a massive accumulation of cars around a local park.
The center of the action was an area with military equipment in open access.
Our people take great pleasure in climbing where they shouldn’t, and where they should — they help children climb up.
On the other side of the site there was fire equipment, but it was in less demand.
