Naturally, humorous nomenclature isn't limited to heavy armor and vehicles, either. The 3K60 coastal defense system, NATO reporting name Sennight, is known as the 'Ball' (as in the stately dance party). Meanwhile, the 1L219 radio-location complex is known as the 'Zoo' (Zo'opark), and the RPMK-1 Radar-Meteorological Complex is called the 'Smile' (Ulyibka). The 1V152 fire control system is interestingly nicknamed the Kapustnik, which roughly translates as 'Cabbage Festival'. The names of rivers are typically given to Russian air defense systems, such as 'Shilka,' 'Tunguska,' 'Dvina,' 'Neva,' 'Pechora' and 'Angara.' An array of Russian self-propelled and towed artillery systems also gets such nicknames, including 'Msta,' 'Khosta' and 'Kama.'ĭesigners of command and control vehicles have their own interesting nomenclature. Meanwhile, the world's most powerful flamethrower system attached to a tank chassis, the TOS-1, has been given the moniker 'Pinocchio', (Buratino). Another modernized variant of the T-72, the T-72M1, has been nicknamed the 'Banana' (Banan). For instance, designers named the T-72B2, a heavily modernized variant of the T-72, the 'Slingshot' (Rogatka). Russian tank designers seem to be some of the best-known trolls, making up understated and gentle names for their death on wheels designs. The multiple launch rocket systems, capable of destroying a whole settlement in a minute, are traditionally named in honor of destructive natural phenomena: 'Grad' (Hail), 'Uragan' (Hurricane),'Smerch' (Twist) and 'Tornado.' The Russian military analysis site once commented on this series of weapons, noting that 'it is unlikely that any potential adversary would like to smell such a bouquet.' The most vivid example is the 'flower' series of Soviet and Russian self-propelled cannons, howitzers and mortars: 'Vasilyok' (Cornflower), the 2S1 'Carnation' (Gvozdika), the 2S3, 'Acacia' (Akatsiya), the 2S4 'Tulip' (Tyulpan), the 2S5 'Hyacinth' (Giatsint), and the 2S7 'Pion', the last of which is capable of shooting nuclear artillery rounds.

In this vein, it is worth pointing to a systemic approach related to the nicknames of some kinds of weapons. But in everyday life, the country's designers and the military refer to Russian weaponry by official and unofficial nicknames, something that is also the case with NATO representatives. Traditionally, any kind of weapon in Russia, including a tank, a pistol or an aircraft, is given an official alphabetic or alphanumeric designation.

Military tank names copyrighted