While the tank, the World War Two-era T-34, weighs around 30 tonnes, this prompted those transporting it from Narva to the war museum in Viimsi Tuesday to speculate that much of the weight might consist of concrete ballast.

However, upon cutting open the hatches, the tank was found to have an engine, and even some fuel, along with another slightly more idiosyncratic contents.

Museum director Hellar Lill said: "There was also an artificial red carnation inside the tank, but I don't know how it got in there."

Red carnations were commonly placed at Soviet-era war memorials such as the Narva tank.

The fact that the T-34 still has its engine intact suggests that it might have originally been driven on to the pedestal which supported it at its former site, just north of Narva, Lill said, though this was not clear.

The tank is now stored in a hangar along with other military equipment. The hangar itself is open to the public at weekends or by prior arrangement, and is likely to be ready for viewing, replete with technical data and info placed alongside, as early as this Friday, the museum says.

The Estonian War Museum (Eesti sõjamuuseum) in Viimsi already has a T-34 on-site, situated outside and so viewable at all times the museum is open.

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