NBR: Corruption Ukraine style

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:22 am

Some of you may know based on my posts elsewhere

I am Ukrainian by birth and recent happenings in my former country filed me with much pride and awe. I've been hanging around Ukrainian news sites, as well as private blogs and just this morning someone posted pictures of the residence of the ousted Ukrainian president. Among numerous decadences (too numerous to list, you can see for yourselves) he had a private garage. Among lots of expensive cars there were motorcycles and I was wondering if anyone might recognize what they are. Just our of curiosity. Judging form the golden toilet I am assuming the bikes are expensive. The blog is in Russian but pictures speak for themselves

http://is.gd/QinDxJ

Tazio · Post by **Tazio** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:29 am

Wow! Way to go. Didn't see a Buddy though.

Southerner · Post by **Southerner** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:27 am

The nearer bike appeared to be a Jawa 2-stoke, which was once available here. The center bike with the fairing looked like a BMW but I couldn't see the engine so I wasn't sure. Couldn't see enough of the rest to make a guess.

Among the cars I saw a Chevrolet Impala from the 1960s. It was not particularly expensive here but maybe it was more so over there, being imported.

I wonder why all the batons were stored in the desk? Kinda odd.

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 3:48 am

Butons likely belonged to his security guards. I am trying to figure out what did he need submersible and the ship for. The Chief Justice ( former) just collected art . I kept counting Feberge eggs.....http://4ubuk.blogspot.se/2014/02/blog-post_23.html

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:36 pm

Stormswift wrote:I am trying to figure out what did he need submersible and the ship for.

I'm sure that "need" had nothing to do with it.

bgwss · Post by **bgwss** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 3:46 pm

Have not followed this news item very closely but after seeing this "stuff" seems to make more sense why the people were upset along with other things I am sure.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:00 pm

Good grief! I'll be amazed after I'm done being flabbergasted!

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:01 pm

What about the giant ship? Looks like one of those places that houses a seafood restaurant!

I don't know about value, but much of these appear to be Soviet-era Russian vehicles. One of the issues with identifying these is that from around the '30s on, the Soviets freely copied and cloned numerous car and motorcycle models. (E.g., original Urals were BMW clones.) A lot of the models copied were German. In fact, they felt particularly free to copy from countries they'd gone to war against.

A few of the cars in the first pic are Moskvitch 400 series models from the late-'40s to mid-'50s. (The blue one on the left.) These were Opel (German) clones. Some of those compacts might be later Moskvitchs. Moskvitches. Whichevers.

A couple of the little ones in that pic are ZAZ Zaporozhets , including a ZAZ 965s, a '60s knock off of the Fiat 600.

This black and white one one is a GAZ-M1, known as the Emka. This was one of the official "staff cars" produced for the military during WWII.

No, I didn't know all of this off the top of my head.

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 11:10 pm

Thanks Eric and everyone for looking up the bikes and cars. The ship apparently was used for entertainment/dinners

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 11:12 pm

Thanks Eric and everyone for looking up the bikes and cars. The ship apparently was used for entertainment/dinners

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 12:04 am

I think that the limos are Zils. Saw one of them when Gorbachev came to New York.

Southerner · Post by **Southerner** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 2:40 am

The Soviets copied pretty much anything they pleased, it's true, up to and including interned B-29s that had to force-land in Russian-controlled territory after a Japanese bombing raid.

As to the Ural, I've heard conflicting versions. One was that, under the terms of the Pact of Steel, the Germans gave the Russians info to produce their obsolete Beemer but used a newer version themselves.

Incidentally, somebody close to home has bought a Ural and keeps taunting me by driving (yes, "driving" is correct, I'm told) it about in places where I happen to be. He appears to be having too much darned fun, if you ask me.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 9:46 pm

Southerner wrote:The Soviets copied pretty much anything they pleased, it's true,

They even built a knock-off of the Space Shuttle. It wasn't an exact clone, and the functional design was different, but there's no question where they got the exterior design from.