Family arsenal

[Prapor]

Was visiting my uncle Viktor, in North Ossetia-Alania.

He is a Cossack, a real one, by blood, not by costume, not a phoney wannabe, like there are many these days. He lives the lifestyle. Has a big house, a wife, 8 children, all boys. And, like many Cossack clans, they have weapons. Lots and lots and lots of weapons.

It took them essentially three rooms worth of floor space, but they finally managed to lay out all their weaponry for me. Amazing. Pics taken with different cameras, by me and others, hence some maybe different size or whatever.

Viktor and three of his sons, Ilya, Vladimir, and Igor patrol around their property

North Caucasus is always a tense, dangerous place. One must always be on one's guard. Frankly, the area they live in was the scene of bloody battles between Cossack and Ossetian militias on one side and Ingush nationalist groups on the other in early to mid 90s. So, shall we say, I do not blame them for stocking up on heat.

 

[A Can of Man]

Nice baseball bat!

What's with the camoflaged tarp in the lower picture?

 

[Team Infidel]

I'll take the bat.. that's perfect.

 

[GHR]

Wonder how a burglar is armed over there .....? :tank:

 

[Prapor]

The bat is nice. Did you know, most Russians have never heard of the sport of baseball, yet Russia is one of the biggest markets for bats in the world.

Camo tarp... Don't know... Maybe there is a hole under it, a trap

And GHR, it is not against burglars that Cossacks, Ossetians, and others arm themselves. It is against Islamists. Not Chechens, not most, normal Chechens. We have friends in Chechnya, and all Caucasus. It is external Islamists, damn Arabs, from saudi, Yemen, sneak across the border, cause trouble. When we or Chechens, Kadyrov's men, find them, we kill them on the spot, kill brutally, as a lesson to others, but some still come.

So, we too do what we can.

Cossack children are trained since they turn 7.

They grow up in barracks

and they learn all they have to know to fight the Islamists and any other invaders

I went through this too. Makes you a soldier, makes you a man.

 

[5.56X45mm]

Interesting...... Are those personally owned? Is he part of Russia proper or Georgia? From what I have learned about Russian firearm law, it's pretty restrictive and basically only hunting arms like shotguns and maybe a bolt action rifle are allowed. I understand that carrying of arms in Russia is also restrictive hence the market for a "Gas" pistol which firearms rubber balls.

Now lets see what we have here.

I see at least two Remington 870 shotguns. Nice to know that America's best pump action is even respected and loved over there. Two single stack PM Makarovs and two double stack PM Makarovs. One TT-33 Tokarev. Three 1895 Nagant Revolvers. Seven side by side box lock shotguns, some have external hammers. One over and under shotgun. One 1891/30 Mosin Nagant. One SVT-40. One SKS-45 Carbine. One 7.62x39mm AK-47 and one 5.45x39mm AK-74. One Baikal semi-auto shotgun. One PPSH-41. One unknown submachine gun. Might be chambered in .32 ACP (7.65) from the looks of it. A number of air rifles and also what appears to be an OD Green US M8A1 knife sheath. Oh.... also one RGD-33 Grenade, one F1 Grenade, and one RGD-5 Grenade. There also is a pistol in the top picture that I am not able to tell what it is. Could be a commercial Yugoslavian made pistol.

Helmets I see a Soviet SSh-40 and a German M1940 Stahlhelm.

 

[Korean Seaboy]

Gotta love the Russians!
I see the PPSH, the machine gun with the round chamber. Weird, I thought they were used in WWII, so they're pretty much outdated.
I recognize the AK-47s of course. The most famous gun in the world. If I see them correctly, I also see the PPS, the forerunner of the Ak-47 and nearly indistinguishable from one.
I see the shotguns, and if I know it correctly, some Mosin-Nagants. These are the only ones I can recognize.

Also, I hope this thread doesn't turn to an anti-Islam thread. Of course, there's mostly no trolls here. Muslims are alright. They're normal people. Yet, Islamists are the radical ones, the terrorists, the ones that appear in videos and preach and prattle and go out to get hit by a Predator. I want to congratulate Prapor on making the distinction.

(PS: No, I didn't look at 5.56's thread. I just look at the original post and go down to reply. However, I see that he's done a superb job of identifying the guns. I only recognize some of these guns because I'm a maniac about WWII weaponry)

 

[Prapor]

We love American shotguns. One of the things we respect about US of A despite all the anti-West propaganda.

No, this is not in Georgia, though close, geographically.

This is Ossetia (Alania)

Titular, native population are Ossetians or Alans (as they call themselves), Persian people, migrated from what is now Iran many thousands of years ago, once Shiite Muslims, all converted to Orthodox Christianity now. The upper part (population 700,000) is part of Russia. The lower part, (population about 70-75,000) was part of Georgia, is now 'independent', but is essentially under Russian military control.

Here is its position in the region

There is a significant Cossack presence in North Ossetia, in the tens of thousands, and about 1 in 3 of the Cossack forces are ethnic Ossetians themselves. Of the remaining two thirds, half has at least some Ossetian blood. In my case, my Grandmother is Ossetian. She lives in the South, in Ckinval (Tskhinvali is Georgian pronunciation, Ossetians don't like it). Her home was bombed too, in 2008. One of her neighbors died. Many of my family went as volunteers to fight the Georgians. But that is irrelevant now.

In any case, the particular part of North Ossetia where uncle Viktor lives is called Prigorodny District

Much of it was part of Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, until in 1944 Stalin mass deported Ingush to Central Asia, after accusing them of collaborating with Nazis, and gave this territory to the Ossetians. There were always tensions there, and they turned into active fighting, after USSR fell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Prigorodny_conflict

As you can see here, militias from both North and South Ossetia, as well as Don and Terek Cossack units took on Ingush militias (aided also by Chechens, I would add). It says there Russian Army was on our side, it was not, it was trying to break it up, much like Indian Army tried in Sri lanka.

In the end, after the Ossetian-Cossack alliance won, the district was cleansed of Ingush. Thousands were killed, tens of thousands expelled.

Some pics

Army truck burns after particularly fierce battle

Ossetian fighter

Cossack fires machine gun

Other side

Ingush prepare for war

Ingush fighters

Finally,

Enter Russian Federal Forces

Today, many tie the Beslan attack (carried out by Ingush) and the not-long-ago Vladikavkaz explosion (also done by Ingush) not to Islamism, but back to this. Nothing is over yet.

Today:

Ingush in Moscow demand justice

Ossetian boy points gun toward Ingush border

Nothing is over yet. It is scary.

And as for gun ownership, gun rules in Russia are strict, but in North Caucasus everyone has guns anyway. They just do lol

 

[Prapor]

And nothing wrong with PPSh, by the way. Good gun, even if old. So many millions of them mass produced back then, you can find them anywhere now, dig through an old shed, you'll find one. Takes whatever ammo, fill that disk with AK bullets, it will work fine.

 

[5.56X45mm]

Personally I'm not Pro-Russian.... lots of bad blood between me and the former USSR. As a people I respect the Russians and I wish nothing but peace. As a government. I don't trust the current Russian government... Putin isn't what I'd call friendly. As for the Russian-Georgian conflict.... I'm on Georgia's side. I believe that Russia used the classic tactic of ethnic Russians being mistreated as an excuse to roll in and take some land.

But in the end.... I hope for peace and I know that the majority of the people simply want to live and do well.

 

[Korean Seaboy]

I like Russia as individuals but I hate the government like 5.56. As for Chechnya, I hope it gets resolved peacefully like Tartastan

 

[brinktk]

I love the bat Prapor! That just tops it all off. If ever there is a time when you need to "get rid of" any of those guns...I'm your man.:santam16::wink:

Interesting bit about the Cossacks. I bet they would be a worthy adversary to anybody, and a great ally to boot.

 

[Prapor]

I love the bat 5.56! That just tops it all off. If ever there is a time when you need to "get rid of" any of those guns...I'm your man.:santam16::wink:

Interesting bit about the Cossacks. I bet they would be a worthy adversary to anybody, and a great ally to boot.

Yeah... Only issue is all the religious crap... Personally, I think all the interference by Orthodox Church is unhelpful.

We were always a free people, that is what we've always been respected for. Bowed down to noone. Understandably, having descended from runaway serfs and steppe nomads, a Cossack's freedom always meant more to him than his life.

Wasn't until maybe 16th century when we agreed, voluntarily, to serve Russia and the Tsar.

In religion too, we picked our own ways. Well, not anymore.

Our children are taught to pray now, in the camps

I don't like it. God should not be forced on people, especially children.

Personally I'm not Pro-Russian.... lots of bad blood between me and the former USSR. As a people I respect the Russians and I wish nothing but peace. As a government. I don't trust the current Russian government... Putin isn't what I'd call friendly. As for the Russian-Georgian conflict.... I'm on Georgia's side. I believe that Russia used the classic tactic of ethnic Russians being mistreated as an excuse to roll in and take some land.

But in the end.... I hope for peace and I know that the majority of the people simply want to live and do well.

What is your bad blood? I know mine... Lenin's de-Cossackization ravaged my family. All of my people fought against the Bolsheviks in the Civil War. Lenin took his revenge on us all afterward.

Current government though is far from Soviet. In fact, the Tsar's family has been absolved by the Highest Court, and made Saints by the Church. The anti-Communist fighters are well respected now. If the stance on General Andrei Vlasov, the 'traitor', supposed Nazi collaborator, has changed in recent times.

Besides, Russia was only one of 15 republics. Cannot blame her alone for the sins of the whole Union.

I like Russia as individuals but I hate the government like 5.56. As for Chechnya, I hope it gets resolved peacefully like Tartastan

I hope so too. The situation there very complex. Ethnic, religious, political conflicts, mixed with economic stuff, poverty, unemployment, devastation...

 

[5.56X45mm]

Yeah... Only issue is all the religious crap... Personally, I think all the interference by Orthodox Church is unhelpful.

We were always a free people, that is what we've always been respected for. Bowed down to noone. Understandably, having descended from runaway serfs and steppe nomads, a Cossack's freedom always meant more to him than his life.

Wasn't until maybe 16th century when we agreed, voluntarily, to serve Russia and the Tsar.

In religion too, we picked our own ways. Well, not anymore.

Our children are taught to pray now, in the camps

I don't like it. God should not be forced on people, especially children.



What is your bad blood? I know mine... Lenin's de-Cossackization ravaged my family. All of my people fought against the Bolsheviks in the Civil War. Lenin took his revenge on us all afterward.

Current government though is far from Soviet. In fact, the Tsar's family has been absolved by the Highest Court, and made Saints by the Church. The anti-Communist fighters are well respected now. If the stance on General Andrei Vlasov, the 'traitor', supposed Nazi collaborator, has changed in recent times.

Besides, Russia was only one of 15 republics. Cannot blame her alone for the sins of the whole Union.



I hope so too. The situation there very complex. Ethnic, religious, political conflicts, mixed with economic stuff, poverty, unemployment, devastation...

My family history has been screwed over by the USSR. We're Cuban. Castro, communism, and the Soviet backing it all. Half of my family was killed in Cuba so we're exactly pro-Russian.

 

[Prapor]

My family history has been screwed over by the USSR. We're Cuban. Castro, communism, and the Soviet backing it all. Half of my family was killed in Cuba so we're exactly pro-Russian.

Fair enough. Sorry about your family.

 

[Stealthy!]

I'd rather live in Soviet Russia than have Christian fundamentalist bullcrap shoved down my throat like that.

 

[Atasas]

I'd rather live in Soviet Russia than have Christian fundamentalist bullcrap shoved down my throat like that.

Two different dimensions- "soviet Russia" and "Christian fundamentalism"
still, it does have same qualities to be in one. I mean, in USSR there was only one nation, that was happy with those arrangements, 20 years later, in Caucasus "happy" (different) attendance. Draws conclusion, that moral base of one or other semi-extreme is acceptable to general public.
That is where I draw a line between Patriotism and Nationalism, not of better conclusion in this case...

 

[FUNeral]

I'd rather live in Soviet Russia than have Christian fundamentalist bullcrap shoved down my throat like that.

And here, a man from Australia says he'd rather live in soviet Union. Stealhy, In my country we had "lite" version of that twisted system, Russians had it much worse. You have no idea what it means...

 

[5.56X45mm]

I'd rather live in Soviet Russia than have Christian fundamentalist bullcrap shoved down my throat like that.

No you wouldn't..... Cuba lived through the wonders of Soviet Communism and is still living through a twisted version of Chinese Communism now.

If you want to live in Communism; I heard North Korea is taking applications.

 

[A Can of Man]

Stealthy, though fundamentalist Christianity is annoying as hell, the Soviet style government, or Maoist governments, really top the list of the worst sort of conditions to live in.