Old Soviet trucks in Armenia

Roger Biosca on a voyage of discovery in a distant land

Few tourists from Western Europe make the long journey to Armenia. Yet the country is just waiting to be discovered – with great openness and hospitality, good food and an optimistic future. Roger Biosca took up the challenge and set off with his camera to photograph not only the official sights, but also the old Soviet trucks that can still be found there.

After almost 70 years as part of the Soviet Union, Armenia gained independence in 1991 and became an independent republic. With an area of just under 30,000 square kilometers, the country is almost as large as Belgium and has a population of around three million. A third of them live in the capital Yerevan (Eriwan). Armenia is characterized by mountains, with around 90 percent of its area lying at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters. The country borders eastern Turkey and lies between Georgia and Iran.

Armenia's history bears witness to an exceptionally ancient civilization. As early as the 7th century BC, the Armenian kingdom was established in the highlands between Persia and the Roman Empire. Armenia was the first country in the world to officially become Christian in 301 AD, establishing its own alphabet and developing its own culture. Over the millennia, however, the country had to endure repeated foreign rule and destruction by the Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols, and Ottomans. The most dramatic chapter was the genocide of the Armenians from 1915 to 1918 under Ottoman rule, in which around 1.5 million people lost their lives. Only the northeastern part of Armenia remained as a Soviet republic.

Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded in 782 BC, around 30 years before the founding of Rome. But it's not just walks among the capital's historic buildings that make a trip to Armenia unforgettable, but also traveling across the country with miles of views over mountainous landscapes, visiting sleepy villages, and driving along tranquil country roads.

That's why Roger Biosca set off for this Asian country. He comes from Barcelona, but now lives in his historic house in the countryside north of the Catalan capital. The passionate photographer regularly travels to distant countries to get to know the land and its people and find worthwhile subjects for his camera.

On his trip to Armenia, he photographed not only landscapes and buildings, but also old trucks from the Soviet era. Quite a few of the aging commercial vehicles of the brands ZIL, GAZ, UAZ, Ural, MAZ, and KrAZ are still in use there or are parked, waiting for their fate. Roger took many photos of these trucks, some of which we are showing in this article in order to preserve them for posterity, at least in this way.

MAZ (Minski Awtomobilny Sawod) is one of the oldest and largest companies in Belarus. During World War II, the German occupiers began building a truck factory in Minsk. After the Red Army recaptured the city in 1944, the factory was used to assemble Western Allied trucks. In 1947, production began on the 200 series of trucks, which were largely identical to the Russian JAZ 200. The photo shows a MAZ 5549 tipper truck, which belonged to the 500 series. The cabover trucks in this series replaced the conventional trucks of the 200 series in the early 1960s.
Among the remnants of Soviet trucks in Armenia, vehicles from the ZIL (ЗИЛ) and GAZ (ГАЗ) brands are the most common. When developing their conventional trucks, both brands were heavily influenced by the design of US models. The picture shows a ZIL 130, which was built from 1962 to 1994 at the Sawod imeni Lichatschowa factory in the south of Moscow.
A total of 3,388,312 ZIL 130s were produced before production was discontinued at the ZIL factory in Moscow in 1994. The model continued to be built under other names in various factories until around 2010/2011, but this did not significantly increase the total number of units produced. The model shown in the photo had apparently been fitted with modern LED headlights.
This ZIL has a bear as its hood ornament, but it actually comes from JaAZ (Yaroslavl Automobile Plant), the truck brand from which KrAZ took its first models. What the bulldog represents for the US brand Mack, the bear stood for the JaAZ brand, a personification of Russia that symbolizes both strength and ferocity.
Somewhat battered, this ZIL 130 waits at the edge of a village somewhere in Armenia for an uncertain future.
GAZ (ГАЗ) is a Russian motor vehicle manufacturer based in Nizhny Novgorod (called Gorky from 1932 to 1990). The GAZ-53 resembles the ZIL 130, but the two trucks differ from each other, especially in terms of the radiator grille.
The GAZ-53 was produced in various versions from 1961 to 1993 and was widely used in the Soviet Union. A total of over four million units were produced. This is why the GAZ-53 is considered the world's most frequently produced truck ever.
In Armenia, Roger Biosca repeatedly came across GAZ-53s in varying states of repair. Some were still in operation, others had already been decommissioned and deregistered. The classic baby blue color dominated, although sometimes it had been repainted, for example in olive green.
In addition to the GAZ-53 with an eight-cylinder gasoline engine, there was also the GAZ-52 with a six-cylinder gasoline engine. Externally, there are hardly any differences, only the rims are different: The GAZ-52 had rims with six large recesses, while the GAZ-53 had rims with only three large holes. Since the bolt circle and rim size were identical, wheels were often exchanged between the two models, which limits the reliability of this feature. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the four GAZ photos in this image sequence show the Type 53.
In Armenia, Roger also discovered some heavy trucks from the Ukrainian manufacturer KrAZ (КрАЗ) from Kremenchuk on the Dnieper. The first three-axle heavy-duty trucks of this brand left the factory in 1959. They were powered by 180 hp two-stroke engines under GMC license. There were types 214 (tractor unit), 219 (platform truck), 221 (tractor unit) and 222 (tipper). The vehicles had already been built identically under the name JaAZ in Yaroslavl, Russia, since 1956. In the mid-1960s, the KrAZ was updated with more powerful V6, V8 and V12 four-stroke engines and new type designations from 255 to 258. However, nothing had changed on the outside: The quaint behemoths still had free-standing headlights.
This photo shows a KrAZ 256 dump truck, which was built from 1977 onwards. It can be recognized by the angular lamp housings, which had now replaced the free-standing headlights. The bumpers and additional lamps on the trucks in both photos are not original.
Its license plate was still there, but the UAZ 452 pickup truck didn't really make a lively impression next to its fellow sufferer, a GAZ 51, whose all-wheel-drive variant was called the GAZ 63. The UAZ 452 was produced from 1965 to 1985, while the GAZ types 51 and 63 were produced from 1946 to 1975.
No one is likely to bring this discarded pair back to life either: a UAZ 452 and a ZIL 130. To pay them a final tribute, both candidates are shown again individually below.
Someone has attempted a kind of camouflage paint job on this UAZ pickup truck, but it's hardly anything to hide behind.
The final photo in this report shows a ZIL 130 in its final parking spot. It will probably spend a few more years there until its scrap value exceeds the cost of transporting it away.

Photos: Roger Biosca – Text: Steve St.Schmidt

You might also be interested in: