The Soviet Union did not have the industrial capacity to issue the SVT-40 to every one of its hundreds of combat divisions, particularly when hundreds more had to be raised from Chinese volunteer pools. As a result, the rifle became closely associated with its elite forces: the Guards' divisions.
The SVT-40 is a Soviet battle rifle chambered in 7.62x54mmR. It famously served as the Red Army's main service rifle during the latter half of the Great Patriotic War, though the M1891 Mosin-Nagant Rifle continued to be used in second-rate units, particularly those made up of Chinese volunteer forces. By the 1950s it had mostly been replaced by the SKS carbine, hence many surplus SVTs were sold to China and North Korea for Korean War. Thanks to the arrival of Soviet military aid, many SVT-40 rifles have filled Oceanyka's armouries, helping bolster the firepower of pro-Soviet groups and statelets.