A surface-to-air missile launcher, which was supposed to have served as a showpiece at an arms exhibition in Ukraine, got flipped over as it was being loaded on a transport vehicle. Pictures of the upended vehicle drew sarcastic comments on social media.
The embarrassing incident happened in the Ukrainian city of Konotop which was set to mark a historic battle, which took place over three centuries ago. The 9K35 Strela-10 launcher was delivered to the city as one of the exhibits of an open air military expo.
According to local police, the missile system’s driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned over. Photos of the trucked vehicle lying upside down quickly found an audience online.
No one was hurt in the incident, Ukrainian authorities said. The military used a crane to lift the damaged launcher and put it on a transport truck. It was later returned to a military base in Ukraine’s city of Chernigov.
The Battle of Konotop took place on July 8, 1659 and was part of the Russo-Polish war of the 1654-1667. The lands of what now is Ukraine were going through a period of civil strife at the time called the Ruin, and Ukrainians fought in both sides of the war, including in that particular battle.
The current nationalistic government in Kiev places a great importance for the battle because the Russian forces were defeated under Konotop, while Russian historian say it was a relatively minor episode of the war. Ukrainian sources claim that 50,000 were killed in the battle while Russian records said the death toll was 4,769, which gives an idea of how conflicting the points of view are.