We all know that the Russian tanks get exported everywhere, but sometimes they pop up at unexpected places.

This is a T-80U tank, one of the best MBTs the Soviet Union had. Only, it’s not in Soviet Service – it’s in South Korea! 33 vehicles of this type were given by Russia to South Korea in mid-1990s to cover the Russian debt. 1990s were not a good time for the Russian military as even truly advanced equipment was sold left and right (along with massive budget cuts) to help deal with the disastrous financial situation of the country following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

As for the Korean T-80U’s – now, two decades later, they are still in active service, but their enormous upkeep is pushing the South Korean military to retire them in favour of indigenous tanks.