Chinese Military-Grade Armored Vehicle Raises Questions about Its Purpose and Ownership by Moscow’s Metro
Chinese Dongfeng armored vehicle, seemingly owned by the Moscow Metro State Unitary Enterprise (SUE), was recently spotted at a parking lot in the center of Moscow. This sighting raises questions, as it is unusual for a metro system to require an armored vehicle. Even more perplexing is that the vehicle, which is classified in China as a military anti-terrorist vehicle capable of withstanding hits from the AK-47 rifle, has been given civilian “tractor” license plates in russia.
The Dongfeng armored vehicle can carry up to 10 troops and is priced at approximately $130,000 on the Chinese market. This situation prompts speculation about why China permitted the sale of such military-grade equipment to russia, despite Beijing’s officially stated positions. An even more pressing question is what purpose the russians might have for this armored vehicle. The notion of an anti-terrorist armored vehicle for the metro operations seems absurd, and it is unlikely that the vehicle was purchased for agricultural use, despite its “tractor” designation.
The context becomes clearer when considering Moscow’s efforts to establish its own security force, ostensibly to protect the metro but with the potential for involvement in territorial defense operations and the possibility of being armed with heavy firearms, pending approval from the National Guard of Russia. Until the fall of 2022, the protection of Moscow’s metro infrastructure was the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport’s departmental security service. However, in November 2022, President Putin granted Moscow city authorities the right to form their own departmental security force for the metro, a right previously reserved for federal government structures.
It wasn’t until April 2023 that the russian government approved regulations allowing Moscow mayor’s office to create this security structure, requiring it to coordinate with Rosgvardiya, which would also decide on the issuance of heavy firearms. Currently, the departmental security of the Moscow metro is only permitted to carry pistols and smoothbore shotguns.
While the police will continue to guard the entrances and exits of the Moscow metro stations, the establishment of the departmental security service by the city has led to speculation and jokes among the russians about the creation of the Metro private military company or a similar entity. However, these jokes may be taking on a more serious tone. To date, the Moscow metro’s departmental security has been seen with three types of light armored vehicles: the RIDA Buran, the Z-STS Akhmat (a vehicle associated with Kadyrov’s forces), the Patrol, and now the Dongfeng.
It appears that the organizers of this security structure are conducting a selection process to determine which of these four types of armored vehicles best meets their needs. There is speculation that this formation could eventually evolve into another private military company that might be deployed in the ongoing war against Ukraine.