Armored vehicle joy rides ire local skiers in Kazan (VIDEO)

If you buy a used armored personnel carrier make sure your joy rides don’t spark hostilities with your neighbors, who believe their favorite skiing track is no place for a 10-ton war machine, even a demilitarized one.

That’s probably the lesson for Ilsur Zagidullin a businessman living in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan region. He is a proud owner of a BTR-60, an old Soviet APC, which was stripped of all its armaments and military hardware and is in essence now, a very heavy, all-terrain gallon guzzler.

But his joy rides in a forest area south of the city – several of which he filmed and uploaded online recently – were not welcomed by other residents, who see the place as their favorite skiing course. They say the APC destroys the track and that the businessman is ignoring their complaints, a local TV channel reported this week.

Zagidullin insists that he isn’t doing anything wrong and has as much right to ride in the forest as the complaining skiers. Apparently, somebody believes public opinion may be used to pressure the APC owner, since his joyride video, with very dismissive remarks, is being spread on Russian social networks.

The local television channel reported Zagidullin bought the ex-military vehicle a couple of months ago and has only used it a few times. According to his videos, he intends to turn the APC into a local attraction, accepting money from people wishing to take a ride.

A demilitarized BTR-60 can be bought for some $30,000 in Russia, though extra options like a preserved gun turret or a more comfortable driver’s seat and passenger compartment would drive the price up.

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