[Marcello]

"T-80's fellas would actually practice driving, firing and spotting, while those who got an unlucky ticket to Mongolia border would perfect their paradeground-cleaning-with-toothbrush skills."

AFAIK the deployment of the èlite tanks did not follow an entirely linear patterns. Generally the GSFG got the better stuff first but that was not always true: for example T-64s were shipped to the Odessa military district while armored units belonging to motorized rifle divisions in much higher priority sectors had to make do with T-55s. And from what I read I got the impression that situations like that were rather common.