Chinese Armored Vehicles Circulating on Russian Streets, Here Are Their Specifications

JAKARTA – Armored tactical vehicle Chinese-made goods are widely circulated on the streets of Moscow, Russia. This follows the turbulent situation resulting from the war with Ukraine .

“Moscow Metro continues to arm itself,” wrote Avtobusy y Vobbechle, a Russian-language Telegram channel, as reported by Newsweek, Monday (2/9/2024).

The Russian capital tightened security measures after protests against President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and a terrorist attack by the Islamic State Khorasan Province on March 22 that killed 145 people at the Crocus City Hall music venue.

Avtobusy y Vobbechle, which usually covers public transport, wrote that the military-grade vehicles had been purchased by the security department in charge of the metro system. The post included a photo of a black tactical vehicle emblazoned with the logo of Moscow’s metro service.

Tsargrad, a pro-Kremlin media outlet, reported that the all-terrain vehicle was registered as civilian special equipment and had a type of license plate specific to tractors.

Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi identified the anti-terrorism armored vehicle as the Dongfeng EQ2091XFB. The vehicle is manufactured by Dongfeng Special Vehicle Co., a subsidiary of China’s Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Hubei province. The vehicle’s price ranges from $130,000 to $270,000, or around Rp2 billion to Rp4.2 billion, depending on the specification options.

Militarnyi reports that the unit in the photo is equipped with an armored turret that can accommodate a machine gun. The nine-ton vehicle can withstand fire from AK-47 assault rifles.

Newsweek reached out to Dongfeng Special Vehicle Co. and the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment via email. The Chinese-made SUVs are bolstering Moscow’s security fleet following the purchase of armored vehicles from domestic manufacturers earlier this summer, including the Z-STS “Akhmat” and RIDA “Buran” vehicles.