An overview of Azov Engineering Group's garage is seen on September 9, 2015 in Kyiv, Ukraine. At left is an inverted tank chassis in the process of being stripped down before being rebuilt as a new vehicle much like "Azovette" (top right), which went through a similar process. Image: Pete Kiehart
Geraldine Cremin, Motherboard: A Tour of Ukraine's 'Mad Max' Tank Factory
Roads in the east of Ukraine are littered with signs of war: roadblocks, craters, tanks, and camo-painted trucks. Occasionally a Mitsubishi L200 pickup painted in a striking geometric camouflage pattern will roll by. That’s Azov Battalion. Its trademark camo print covers its trucks and personnel carriers, and announces the battalion's arrival to battle on its custom-built tanks and armored vehicles.
Motherboard spoke to a few Azov soldiers and found out where these Mad Max tanks, as Azov soldiers referred to them, are built. We headed to the suburbs of Kyiv, where the Azov Engineering Group keeps its headquarters in an old tractor factory. On top of the front building sits a rusty model tractor and a mechanical wheel embellished with the Soviet hammer and sickle. A huge Azov flag is pinned underneath.
WNU Editor: This is revealing .... Azov and some of the other volunteer battalions do have government-issued tanks, but Zvarych emphasises the government can take them back any time. Not so with their tanks, which belong to the battalion from tracks to turret. Regular readers of this blog know that I am not sympathetic of these "volunteer" militias, and having them operate independently from central control will cause more problems in the long run.
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