Motor vehicle, Mode of transport, Winter, Automotive tire, Transport, Automotive exterior, Fender, Snow, Atmospheric phenomenon, Freezing,

The Russian Defense Ministry just released video of the new Ruslan All-Terrain Vehicle. Technically a "tracked articulated vehicle," it will be used to transport Russian infantrymen in bitter, wintry conditions.

The Ruslan is the civilian TTM-4902 amphibious tracked vehicle procured for the Russian Ground Forces. Developed by JSC Transport in collaboration with the University of Nizhny Novgorod, the TTM-4902 has a KamaZ 300-horsepower turbo-diesel engine and can carry up to 22 persons or 2.5 tons of cargo. 

Originally designed to service arctic pipelines of Russia's oil industry, the TTM-4902 has four sets of independently powered tracks to give it good performance over rough and snowy terrain. The vehicle has wide treads giving it a good ground pressure ratio over snow, so the Arctic cruiser can make 29 miles per hour on the road and 5 mph in the water.

Here's the video of the Ruslan in action:

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syzSDCZ3l_s&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

The vehicle is divided into two sections. The first contains the engine and space for six passengers, as well as two foldaway beds for sleeping. The second section has room for 16, and features six beds. 

The Ruslan does seem to have limitations.The military version does not appear substantially different from the civilian version, meaning it probably doesn't have add-on armored protection or a larger, more powerful engine to support it. By contrast, the tracked articulated vehicle used by most of NATO, the Bv 206, is armored against 7.62-millimeter machine gun rounds. 

Like many nations, Russia is paying more attention to the Arctic. The region is taking on increasing importance in a world affected by global warming, with greater opportunities for resource exploitation and the promise of new, time-saving shipping routes. The Russian military is increasing its presence in the country's Arctic regions, and event went so far as to plant the Russian flag under the North Pole. 

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Kyle Mizokami

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.