'Military Disneyland' Opens in Russia

[unokitty]

Photo Essay: Patriot Park: Russia's 'Military Disneyland' is fun for the whole warmongering family

A day in Russia's Military Disneyland

People eat ice cream as they walk past weapons capable of destroying an entire continent.

Tens of thousands fill a park full of Russia's latest military weapons:Helicopters. Missiles. Tanks. Boats. Submarines...

Most people here are families. A father is here with his son. "Russia is unbeatable" he says -- and he wants his son to learn it.

Vladimir Putin opens Russian 'Military Disneyland' Patriot Park

“Children should come here, play with the weaponry and climb on the tanks and see all the most modern technology...”

A stall sold fridge magnets depicting Russian and Soviet figures including Putin, Joseph Stalin, ... Vending machines dispensed army-branded water, and shops sold iPhone cases, T-shirts, sweatshirts and bomber jackets branded with either Putin’s face or slogans extolling victory in the second world war.

The emphasis at Patriot Park is on the glory of war, and the government believes the theme park should help instil a new sense of patriotism in Russia’s youth.

At one stand, Vladimir Kryuchkov was demonstrating the computerised training system for various missile and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The systems are used to train the Russian army as well as foreign armies who buy Russian weapons.

“Boys are geared towards the army from birth by genetics,” he said.

While the Igla surface-to-air missile launcher was probably too heavy for very small children, smaller rocket-propelled grenade launchers were perfect for kids of all ages. Kryuchkov added: “All males of all ages are defenders of the motherland and they must be ready for war, whether war comes or not.”

Vlad's favorite Motorcycle Club was there...

A pack of a dozen Night Wolves were visiting partly for inspiration for a similar “patriotic park” they are building on the outskirts of Sevastopol, in newly annexed Crimea.

“In Soviet times the army was a distant, faraway thing, but now we all feel closer to the army. The army is being romanticised and I see that as a good thing,” Zaldostanov said. “If we don’t educate our own children then America will do it for us … like we have seen in Ukraine.”

Video

When I got to my basic training company, after getting drafted in Dec '69, I found the average age was 18 years and 2 months. Then, I got sent to the MP Academy where we went through the US Army's off-road jeep course. Trained with a variety of weaponry including M60 machine gun, M79 grenade launcher, and the M1911.

The jeep and weapons training was fun. The rest sucked.

Never really thought it was much like Disneyland....

c'est la vie

What about you?
Would it be fun to pass an afternoon on a range with a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, automatic machine gun?
Spend some time with a 40 mm grenade launcher? With an eleven and a half inch aluminum barrel that breaks like a shotgun?
Take an off road jeep course?

Uno

 

[theeedude]

Gotta raise the next generation of cannon fodder.

 

[Sonikku]

Freakin' Fascists.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I'll be honest, he sounds like he is trying to be the next Germany or Napoleon... Trying to raise people to be involved in their military and recruit more from the sounds of it? All the while he is pushing boundaries of trying to take over Ukraine.

 

[xBiffx]

How is this any different than air shows or open houses (bases) on military bases here?

Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, Golden Knights, all recruitment tools directed at the younger generations.

 

[Strk]

How is this any different than air shows or open houses (bases) on military bases here?

Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, Golden Knights, all recruitment tools directed at the younger generations.

Good question.

 

[maddogchen]

next they will have cartoons telling kids to become suicide bombers like Hamas.

 

[IronWing]

What about you?
Would it be fun to pass an afternoon on a range with a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, automatic machine gun?
Spend some time with a 40 mm grenade launcher? With an eleven and a half inch aluminum barrel that breaks like a shotgun?
Take an off road jeep course?

Uno

That part would be fun. People shooting similar weapons in my direction, not so much.