An RT reporter got up close and personal with Russian military hardware during Victory Day parade rehearsals in Moscow, getting a ride and (unsuccessfully) trying to sneak behind the wheel.

Ilya Petrenko jokingly tried to convince the tankmen to let him drive during the rehearsals, but the offer was rejected by the servicemen, who take the rehearsals very seriously. As his previous endeavors showed, Petrenko is quite good at tank-driving – and not that good at getting into one.

Instead of getting behind the wheel, RT’s crew drove alongside the servicemen in a mine-resistant vehicle (MRAP), while peeking through its hatches. Ahead of the parade rehearsal, the servicemen gave their vehicles a bit more polish to make them pristine before rolling into Red Square. Unmanned vehicles, including tracked machines, strike drones and even helicopters will join the servicemen and crewed vehicles during the May 9 parade, a first in the history of the celebrations.

READ MORE: Russian hypersonic missile Kinzhal & other big guns shown at V-day parade rehearsal (PHOTO, VIDEO)

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