In the most recent bit of Russian bizarreness, a 500-tonne military hovercraft carrying sophisticated weaponry casually pulled up onto a crowded, seemingly public beach. Because, apparently, Russia wants to become Europe’s own personal prison planet.
These giant Zubr vessels are purportedly the largest in their class (which consists of the world’s largest hovercrafts) and — when fully loaded — can carry tanks as well as up to 400 troops. So what was it doing landing on a beach full of people? Well, uh, no one entirely seems to know. According to a Russian defence minister spokesman:
Docking at the beach… is a normal event. What people were doing at the beach on the territory of a military [base] is unclear.
So if this beach in Mechnikovo is, in fact, off-limits, it seems a lot of people have somehow been grossly misinformed for at least long enough to allow hundreds if not thousands of citizens to flock to its giant-hovercraft-lined shores. While we may never know what actually happened, we can at least take solace in knowing that our big, cold Florida-to-the-East is someone else’s problem. [Irish Times via Fark]