Earlier this week I asked by email those nice people at Zvezda (whom I visited in 2005) whether or not they had ever sold an Orlan suit to the Chinese government. This is the reply.
"Dear Rob,
We are not in the position to confirm or disprove this information.
We congratulate you and your colleagues with the Victory Day!
Best regards,
Boris A. Ivanov
Foreign Business Relations
"RD&PE Zvezda" JSC"
Victory day, by the way, for the Russians, is 9 May, the day in 1945 when apparently the Allies signed Germany's unconditional surrender, so I am told
on May 8, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply
What on earth do you mean, "apparently" ??? 9th May 1945 was the day the war in Europe stopped - "VE Day" - and is rightly celebrated as such, and not just by Russians. If you'd bothered to check, you wouldn't need to add the disparaging phrase "so I am told" either.
Note that in Europe we also celebrate VJ-Day, when the war in the East was won, putting an end to WW2.
Or would you put "apparently" if someone mentioned "VJ-Day" in a congratulatory note ???
on May 8, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply
According to the BBC's On This Day website 8 May was when Churchill declared the end of hostilities and he had said that the ceasefire had been agreed 24h before. In my email correspondence with Zvezda they said that 9 May was Russia's Victory Day because it was when the surrender "protocol" had been signed by the allies. It does not automatically follow that Russia's Victory day has to be the same as VE-Day. That is what I meant by 'so I am told' and apparently. I was referring to the date the Russians choose to call Victory day and the fact that it saw the signing of the protocol, not the end of the fighting in Europe, strictly speaking.
on May 8, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply
France agrees with you, Mr. Coppinger, and is on holiday today celebrating "Victoire" - before a super-long week-end, one of so many this merry, merry month of May ... (Monday's Whit Monday).
Enjoy ...
on May 8, 2008 4:56 PM | Reply
Further to my above ... I really should look at my watch before letting my fingers loose on the keyboard ...
After all, it is, in France, what one can call the "Feast of the Yes, But" - 8 May (huit mai) being pronounced like "we may", which is also what "yes, but" sounds like, and is sometimes used (when certain of one's company) to preface remarks about where French troops were and when during WW2...
I hope the Moscow parade tomorrow (if it's still being done) will provide you and other commentators with yet more grist to the mill ...
on May 8, 2008 4:56 PM | Reply
Further to my above ... I really should look at my watch before letting my fingers loose on the keyboard ...
After all, it is, in France, what one can call the "Feast of the Yes, But" - 8 May (huit mai) being pronounced like "we may", which is also what "yes, but" sounds like in French, and is sometimes used (when certain of one's company) to preface remarks about where French troops were and when during WW2...
I hope the Moscow parade tomorrow (if it's still being done) will provide you and other commentators with yet more grist to the mill ...
on April 13, 2009 12:45 AM | Reply
Did you also see this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbBFwdmldA
Their suit doesn't work!