Borodin
"Borodin" is the name of a UAZ-452 van Maxim Kunitsyn of the Bureau of Temporal Investigations acquired on the orders of Sesostris and brought to Western Europe in 2021, the second year of the Time-Travelling company's operations. (1/7)
The name "Borodin" is an hommage to "Borodinskiy", a very popular type of rye bread in Russia. UAZ-452 has a more popular name - "Bukhanka", which translates as "a loaf of bread". That's why Sesostris, who knows Russian language quite well, decided to name the vehicle "Borodin". (2/7)
The vehicle looks like a generic UAZ-452, but it's heavily modified due to the need to get to the most remote of the Sending Stones. Before this vehicle, reachin these portals to the Time Current was possible only on foot, which severily limited the amount of supplies the Bureau's agents could carry with them to their journies. "Borodin" changed that. (3/7)
Propulsion
"Borodin" uses a diesel engine which doesn't conform to any European Union ecological standards, but it's still listed as "Euro 5" thanks to Sesostris' connections. Diesel allows for cheaper travel and since most of the Sending Stones are usually situated in developing countries, this type of fuel is easier to find there. (4/7)
Additional & auxiliary systems
Essentially, "Borodin" is a manifestation of the idea "a really bad thing, but beloved by most". As a transport, it couldn't be worse: it uses mechanical transmission, has a lot of troubles with traction control. As an SUV, it's also not the best. Yes, it can go where there isn't any road, and if handled correctly, it never gets stuck. (5/7)
The passengers feel every single bump on the road as if it was an anti-tank obstacle, and when you're inside the vehicle, get ready for a general sensation of being a potato in a sack. In addition, any kind of cargo should be secured, lest it becomes a flying missile aimed at anybody unfortunate enough to be inside the Bukhanka. (6/7)
The Bureau outfitted "Borodin" with various upgrades, most of which are to be revealed in upcoming posts. Suffice it to say, Maxim's general dissatisfaction with this particular vehicle led to these upgrades. The only one that can be confirmed right now is its paintjob. It looks like a "Scooby-Doo truck on acid": evidently, they left Damien Sinclair in charge of the esthetics. Unfortunately, there aren't any up-to-date images of the Bukhanka. (7/7)
Chroniclers:
Meistramser92
Joshua
This is not a Vehicle. This is a Character. This is a hill I am willing to die on. Borodin is the incarnate god of the idea “It's not a bug, it's a feature” and then they do nothing to actually prove it to you because they are a god and aren't subject to your whims. Good luck getting them to do what you want. 10/10, would read again but not ride.
Andrew Belenkiy aka Teyvill Dost
xDDDD Dammit, you give me more incentive to actually translate all the new episodes of our show, where Borodin appears xD