The Tigr and other vehicles displayed by the Russian military contingent in Equatorial Guinea had Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea insignia and licence plates. (AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian military force in Equatorial Guinea put on a public demonstration for the first time on 9 May to mark Russia's Victory Day celebrations.
The event was held on Malabo's corniche and attended by the Russian ambassador and representatives of the various branches of the Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (FAGE).
The media coverage showed that more than 40 Russian soldiers put on a demonstration for locals and displayed equipment, which included a BTR-82A armoured personnel carrier, Tigr light armoured vehicle, two Toyota Hilux pickups, and a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun mounted on a truck.
The BTR-82A's turret was fitted with an antenna that looked like the one used with the LGSh-689 Triton, a relatively new electronic warfare system that is designed to protect the vehicle and surrounding forces from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by jamming their communication signals.
The Russian soldiers were armed with AK-12 assault rifles, one of Kalashnikov's latest models. The other infantry weapons that were displayed by the Russians included a GM-94 pump-action grenade launcher, SV-98 sniper rifle, and Metis guided anti-tank missile system.
They also displayed a first-person-view (FPV) UAV and allowed locals to use an associated simulator that involved connecting the operator's goggles and control console to a laptop computer.
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