The Russian president Vladimir Putin took time to inspect Chinese-made Desertcross 1000-3 off-road vehicles (UTVs) procured by the Russian Armed Forces during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Putin traveled to the southern Russian city from Astana, following his official visit to Kazakhstan.

During his visit to the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District, Putin was accompanied by the Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other senior military leaders.

According to a statement from the Kremlin, the Russian president got acquainted with new types of military equipment and heard reports about the progress of the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

There were many lined up in the forecourt of the headquarters UTV Desertcross 1000-3 according to the Kremlin.

Shoigu said the UTV off-road buggy “is highly sought after”as he described his features to Putin.

According to the information board next to the vehicles, 537 basic versions of the Desertcross 1000-3 is currently in service with the Russian Army, with approximately 1,500 more vehicles equipped with additional equipment to be purchased.

Of this number, 500 will be purchased in December with the rest to be supplied by Russia in the first quarter of 2024. Russia is paying 1.58 million rubles (€16,100) per unit for basic equipment, and 2.1 million rubles ( 21,350 euros) per unit for UTVs with additional equipment.

File photo