It Was Repainted
The tank in question is thought to have been caught by the Germans, who then repainted it with their symbols. While it was a great machine that could handle any terrain, the theory goes that the Germans left it so that the Soviets could not retake it. The tank was eventually taken to the Gorodenko museum.
In Great Shape
What made the tank so fascinating was that it did not seem to have suffered any damage. There were metal parts of the surface that had eroded after years of water damage, but the Soviet war tank was still in good shape. As a matter of fact, it looked solid enough that they could not help but hope that it was still in working condition! Were they right about that?