The recently-opened Museum of Russian Military History is well worth a visit, says James Kinnear
There are museum collections around the world that one can visit once a year, or even once every ten years, and the exhibits have remained static in the meantime. In the Russian Federation however, several museum collections have been established in recent years that have grown rapidly from scratch, based on a heady mix of enthusiasm, patriotism and high-level business acumen.
These privately developed museums house world-class collections with an attention to detail in restoration projects that is second to none. One such museum is the recently-opened Muzei Otechestvennoi Voennoi Istorii (MOVI) - the Museum of Russian Military History - located in the village of Padikovo, in the western suburbs of Moscow.
The MOVI museum has been in existence for only three years, having officially opened on May 9, 2014, on the 69th anniversary of Victory in Europe, and yet has already amassed a superb collection of weapons and equipment. Although most exhibits are ‘Russian standard’ vehicles known to Russian adults and children alike, the museum has made a concerted effort to gather together exhibits which are rare, unus…