LOCALS in Louisiana were left stunned to find one of Putin's prized T-90 tanks that was seized by Ukranian forces parked at a truck stop.
The monstrous military vehicle was dumped in a parking lot off the Interstate 10 highway after being shipped over to the United States.
Employees at Peto's Travel Center and Casino in Roanoke were stunned when they saw the terrifying tank plonked outside.
A shipping label on the side of the barrel of the main gun suggests it may have been shipped over from Gdynia, Poland.
Open source intelligence trackers claim the T-90A tank was captured by Ukrainian forces last September amid Russia's disastrous invasion.
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The formidable Russian motor was left unattended at the truck stop for several days, leaving passing drivers baffled.
The state-of-the-art tank was being hauled across the state of Louisiana when the transmission on the truck suddenly went out.
The driver had to go to Houston to replace his mode of transport and asked staff at Peto's if he could leave the tank there until he returned, according to The Drive.
Assistant manager Valerie Mott said: "I’ve been here seven years. I’ve never seen [a tank] here before."
She said the truck stop was under the watchful eye of security guards 24 hours a day in case any military fanatics got too giddy.
The T-90 still boasted some explosive reactor armor containers on the turret, but had been stripped of its deadly machine guns.
The tank seems to have sustained some damage to its front and rear fenders, as well as lacking some Western fire control components that they are usually equipped with.
A shipping label suggests it may have been transported from Poland by an organization known as the "multinational assessment field team."
It is thought the armored vehicle may be headed to the US Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in Maryland for weapons testing or training exercises.
The tank, believed to have been constructed in 2004, is thought to have been captured in Kharviv last September from Putin's soldiers by Ukraine's 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
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The Russian troops who ditched their motor were with the 27th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, 1st Guards Tank Army.
The tank is expected to be examined by the US military to gain insight into the equipment Russia relies on in battle.
Experts can assess its capabilities and vulnerabilities through reverse engineering.
It is believed that Ukrainian forces may have already stripped some key components after seizing the T-90.
Its sheer presence sparked a panic in Louisiana, as people feared it may have been tampered with while sitting idly for several days.
The trucking company transporting the tank nor military officials have yet to publicly address the incident.
The bizarre guest in the Peto's parking lot has left many Americans with more questions than answers.
Images of the tank were shared on Reddit by a motorist who lives nearby after he spotted it while driving past.
The post read: "I'm some guy in the south who happens to like tanks from playing War Thunder and stumbled upon this beauty."
His computer game dreams seemed to have come to life after he extraordinarily found the tank as it made its baffling journey.
Ukraine previously claimed that a T-90 tank they had captured was stuffed with technology made by French firm Thales.
There has been an arms embargo for European firms supplying Russia with equipment since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
But reports say €346 million worth of military gear was sold to Russia by continental manufacturers after that.
