Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country's military to extend all help to Italy, following which among other things the Russian military will be deploying a Soviet-era jet engine power disinfection machine, TMS-65U.
TMS-65U is a special disinfection truck with a jet engine mounted in the back, which the Russian military uses to clean vehicles coated in chemical agents or create massive smokescreens to hide friendly movements on the battlefield.
A TMS-65U vehicle is made up of a Ural-375 6x6 4.5-ton truck with a modified Klimov VK-1 turbojet engine – first used in the MiG-15 fighter jet in 1947 – mounted inside a turret on the rear of the vehicle.
These military vehicles are handled by Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, also known collectively by the acronym RKhB.
The RKhB is a chemical warfare unit, which was formed during the Soviet era in 1918. In modern Russia, RKhB is tasked with identifying nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards and decontaminating impacted areas.
The RKhB provides similar services after any terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction or man-made or natural disasters involving similar threats.
Russia extends all help to Italy
As per a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry, President Vladimir Putin has issued the order to the country's military sanctioning all support to Italy by sending medical help from Sunday. The Russian military has been briefed to provide all help to Italy to battle the new coronavirus (COVID 19).
The order was dispatched from President Putin's officer after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a long conversation over the phone with Putin on Saturday.
In the conversation, the Russian leader offered his support and help in the form of mobile disinfection vehicles and specialists to help the worst-hit Italian regions, reported The Moscow Times.
On Saturday, Italy recorded its worst death count from coronavirus of almost 800, taking the toll in the world's hardest-hit country to over 5,000.
The Russian Defense Ministry said military transport planes would deliver eight mobile brigades of military medics, special disinfection vehicles and other medical equipment to Italy starting from Sunday. A total of seven cargo planes will be flying to Italy from Russia to drop all the necessary items and the team.
Russia will also be deploying about 100 military personnel from the virology and epidemics department, Interfax cited the Defense Ministry as saying.
In Russia, until now there has been only one coronavirus related deaths, and 306 reported cases of COVID 19 infection.
