According to Karen Shakhnazarov, the General Director of the “Mosfilm” film studio, the studio has handed over its military props to the Russian Armed Forces, reports the “Adyrna” national portal, citing dw.com.
Shakhnazarov, the General Director and Chairman of the Board of “Mosfilm,” informed Russian President Vladimir Putin about this. On November 13, the Kremlin’s press service announced that 28 T-55 tanks, eight PT-76 tanks, six BMPs, and eight towing vehicles had been transferred to the armed forces. They had been stored in a “military-technical base.”
“I learned about the need, contacted the Ministry of Defense, and they took the equipment,” the director said in the conversation.
On the studio’s website, the “Military Equipment” section shows that “Mosfilm” has production facilities equipped with tanks, artillery, vehicles, and firearms. It includes over 190 armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and self-propelled installations, designed to resemble foreign military equipment from various periods. “All equipment is used as props (stage equipment) and is in working condition,” states the Russian film studio’s website.
Since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports of weapon shortages in Russia have emerged. Consequently, the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to reactivate old reserves. Among the equipment sent to the front was the T-55 tank, produced between 1958 and 1979, which Shakhnazarov mentioned in his conversation with Putin.