International Army Games

Army Games – the International Competitions, started in 2015 with a tank biathlon in Alabino and expanded to various branches of service in different cities and countries, including primarily Russia and China.

The main competitions, the International Army  Games, are:

• “Tank biathlon” –  tank crews competition (Alabino, Moscow region)
• “Suvorov attack” – Infantry Fighting Vehicle ( IFV – BMP) crews competition  (Korla,  China)
• “Masters of Armored Vehicles” –  armored vehicle crews (Nakhabino, Moscow region)
• “Open water” –  pontoon bridge units (Murom, Vladimir region)
• “Engineering formula”  – engineering vehicle crews (Tyumen)
• “Safe route” – engineering units (Tyumen)
• “Maintenance battalion” –  maintenance units (Omsk, Siberia)
• “Safe environment”  – NBC protection units (Korla, China)
• “Military rally” –  armored vehicle crews (Volgograd, ex. Stalingrad)
• “Sniper frontier” – snipers competition (Gvardeyskiy training area, Otar, Kazakhstan ? and Alabino – Patriot park, Moscow region)
• “Army Scout Master” – reconnaissance units (Novosibirsk) and ? Patriot park, Moscow  ? Kubinka
• “Elbrus Ring” –  mountain units (Terskol, Kabardino-Balkaria, near Pyatigorsk)
• “Master of artillery fire” – mortar crews (Gvardeyskiy training area, Otar, Kazakhstan)
• “Gunsmith master” – competition among maintenance platoons (Korla, China)
• “Avia-darts”  –  flight crews competition (Changchun, China) and ? Kubinka
• “Clear sky” –  air defense units (Korla, China)
• “Keys to the Sky” –  air defense missile units (Ashuluk training area, Astrakhan region)
• “Airborne platoon” –  Competition among paratrooper competition (Guangxu, China) and ? Patriot park (Moscow region)
• “Seaborne assault” –  marine units (Klerk training area, Primorsky Krai) and ? Sevastopol Crimea area
• “Sea cup” – warship crews (Vladivostok, water zone of the Japan Sea,  Baku, Azerbaijan, Caspian Sea water zone) and (? Sevastopol Crimea)
• “Depth”  –  divers competition (Sevastopol, Crimea)
• “True friend” –   dog handlers (Dmitrov, Moscow region)
• “Military medical relay race”  –  medical units (Saint Petersburg)
• “Field kitchen” –  food service specialists (Alabino, Moscow region)
• “Guardian of Order” – military police units (Alabino, Moscow region)
• “Warrior of commonwealth” –  CIS (ex. USSR) servicemen (Minsk, Belarus)

Field Kitchen and National Food

Probably, competitions in cooking in the Field Kitchen are the most enjoyable and delicious for visitors to the Army Games. In addition to the military competition, all participating countries presented a free tasting of their traditional national food. France, of course, is the world leader in delicacies, but army food has its own characteristics. From a limited number of useful and necessary products for a soldier, it is necessary to quickly prepare food in the field. It is desirable that such food should also be very tasty. The lines of people wanting to try each national cuisine were huge, and the amount of food was limited. Each national cuisine is unique and interesting, so there were a lot of people interested. Uzbekistan is traditionally famous for its melons and watermelons, which are delicious and sweet. Representatives of this country gave useful advice on how to choose these fruit delicacies correctly. In Uzbekistan, dark grapes are used to make raisins, a component of pilaf or oriental sweets. The food of Belarus is soups, potatoes and mushrooms, very tasty and filling. Kazakhstan presented delicious hot national flatbreads, a traditional type of bread in Asia. Armenia has always had very strong chefs. Many cafes and restaurants in Moscow belong to the Armenian diaspora. Even at the Kubinka Tank Museum, the main café for visitors and employees for many years belonged to the Armenian Petros, a former soldier of the tank forces. In our opinion, Armenian chefs cook kebabs and meat dishes very well. Tajikistan is also famous for its oriental flatbreads and sweet fruits. Indian cuisine is considered spicy and not for everyone. Serbian food is connected to the history, culture, geography and nature of the Balkans. Many guests enjoyed exploring and tasting. But the most exotic, most interesting and delicious food was the cuisine of Israel. Jewish restaurants are found all over the world and have an excellent reputation for both food quality and service. Israel, like France, is a leader in tourism, so it poses strong competition in the field of food. The seafood is especially delicious. Healthy and enjoyable food is the calling card of Jewish restaurants. Unfortunately, the number of people wishing to try Jewish national cuisine was greater than the available food. In this sector there was also a small exhibition of Russian field kitchens from the Second World War and the Cold War. For the first time such a collection was exhibited in one of the pavilions of the Kubinka Tank Museum during the creation of Patriot Park. Then the collection moved to the Aerospace sector and was sometimes shown at the Patriot Park Expo during the Army Forum. Wanting to thank the organizers of such a wonderful competition, our team donated unique original historical photographs of the field kitchen of the Russian Imperial Army at the beginning of the 20th century. It was planned that these old photographs would decorate the exhibition of field kitchens in Patriot Park. On our Guide we also post information about Russian dry rations during the Cold War and modern times. A photo gallery from the International Army Games 2017 in Alabino is attached.

Learn more about:

• Modern Russian Army uniforms and insignias, including tanks, auto, paratroopers, special forces
• Army food for the combat operations, for missions (individual food ration)

During the International Army Games, visitors to the main competition site in the Moscow region are given the opportunity to explore Patriot Park and the Kubinka Tank Museum, located next to Alabino.

Patriot Expo and Army Forum 2023, Moscow, Russia