MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. Russia’s tank support combat vehicle (BMPT), known as the Terminator, will now be called Spyridon, the Uralvagonzavod Group (UVZ, part of the state tech corporation Rostec) told TASS.
"At the request of plant workers and combat vehicle crews from the front, the Uralvagonzavod Group has decided to rename the tank support combat vehicle known as the Terminator in the year of the plant’s 90th anniversary in Nizhny Tagil. It has been renamed Spyridon - a name combining heroic and spiritual meanings," the company noted.
While the previous name of the BMPT was associated with a killer robot from an American film, "the new name returns our military equipment to Russian spiritual values and historical truth, to the names of the defenders of our native land," UVZ emphasized.
It explained that this name was borne by many worthy individuals, including the patron saint St. Spyridon of Trimython, renowned for his miracles and steadfast defense of the faith. Particles of the saint’s relics are kept in churches in the Sverdlovsk Region, making this name close to Orthodox Christians in the Urals and to the plant itself, located in Nizhny Tagil. UVZ noted that the meaning of the name Spyridon is "strong," "robust" and "reliable," so by naming the combat vehicle Spyridon, the plant workers are confident it will be a reliable protector.
