Would you like to buy a helicopter?



In Belarus one can buy a helicopter “as a souvenir”. I have always truly believed that written-off military technics must be recycled by some special forces and I really couldn’t imagine that an old military machine can be bought by an ordinary person. My trip to Postavy has widened my life experience.

In a little town Postavy there is a heliborne unit. It lies on the borders of three countries: Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia. But the tasks of this unit are wider than just to protect a certain place. Helicopterists patrol the borders with all neighboring countries except Russia; they fly along the national border from Gomel to Vitebsk. The charge of the technics is of cause great. Now in arsenal of the squadron there are three helicopters Mi-8 and not long ago (in the end of June) a new French AS 355NP Ecureuil which costs about 2 million euro was delivered there. This helicopter is one from the four which are planned to be used by Belarusian frontier guards.

One of the three Mi-8 helicopters is to be written-off soon – the operating life of a helicopter is 30 years. Moreover there is one written-off Mi-8, which stopped its work several years ago, on the territory of the unit. Exactly this helicopter is set out for sale. Unspoken, of cause. You won’t find it on the web sites of internet auctions. But people in the unit ask: “Maybe you know somebody who’d like to buy it? We took all subammunition out of it and it won’t fly of cause. But it can be used as a bar at some wealthy man’s cottage. You know what? We already sold one of these. We delivered it by parts and put together on the cottage lot. Do you imagine how it looks like? The owner is very proud now. He says that all his guests like it very much”. The helicopter really looks fine: no rust, only tired from the service metal, all glass and crowbars in the flight deck are in order. The helicopter is a guardian of the memories of the whole generation, the symbol of epoch. It’s a luxurious rare souvenir. I should tell, I wanted to buy it. “And how much is the helicopter?” – “We will talk if there is a buyer”. That’s it. The answer is very laconic in a military manner. Well, anyway if I have enough money, I will not have any place to put it.

Leaving Postavy I kept thinking: does the trading of military souvenirs is an income item of Belarusian military forces? Somebody will consider it a blasphemy – to make a bar from a military machine. But it’s quite interesting to ask friends: “Would you like to buy a helicopter?” Everybody who is interested – go to Postavy.

Valentsina Borisova.