APCs ‘round us: Russian guy buys armored carrier in Belarus to go to Crimea

A 25-year-old Russian man has gotten himself “a toy” each boy in the world would die for – a real armored personnel carrier. The owner told RT he is working hard to “upgrade” his APC to be as cozy as a real car as he plans to drive it to Crimea.

For now this is just a plan, because the APC, which Timofey Vasilyev bought for $10,000, needs a lot of work.

He bought the decommissioned, Soviet-era vehicle back in June from Belarus, where he found it up for sale on the Belarus Defense Ministry’s online store.

“It turned out very easy. I completed my purchase within four days, including a quick trip to Belarus, chose it and finalized the deal,” Timofey said to RT.

Timofey had to make a trip to Belarus himself and then deliver the truck back to the Moscow region. He found a trailer that brought his APC home, along with a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche Cayenne.

“Perhaps, such a combination was strange enough not to raise any questions,” he now says.

However, Timofey cannot just take his APC onto the streets of Moscow. First, it is illegal to drive military vehicles in the city (though he can still drive it in a field near his house outside Moscow). Second, even if driving it was legal, Timofey would need to go back to driving school and get a special license. Finally, he wants to make his APC as comfortable as a car with music, nice seats and air conditioning, which takes time and money.

But when he is eligible to drive it and the APC is comfortable enough to travel in, Timofey hopes to drive it across the Kerch Strait from Moscow to Crimea. The Strait Kerch is 2 to 10 miles (3 km to 16 km) wide and up to 59 feet (17 meters) deep.