- Russia is using an open-air exhibition to boast about its “trophies” from the war in Ukraine.
- The exhibition featured more than 30 NATO vehicles taken from Ukrainian forces, like an Abrams tank.
- Russia has sought to portray NATO’s supplying of Ukraine with arms as an act of war.
Russia launched an open-air exhibition on Monday showing off more than 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization vehicles that it captured from Ukraine.
Among the seized assets on display were a US-made Abrams tank, a German Leopard tank, a British Husky support vehicle, and dozens of vehicles from countries like France, Sweden, and Australia.
Photos of the opening showed visitors snapping selfies with an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, its nose gun pointed toward the ground, and armor visibly burned and cracked.
“Our victory is inevitable. No Western military equipment will change the situation on the battlefield,” the Russian Defense Ministry wrote in a Telegram post announcing the exhibition.
Reuters reported that state media placed special emphasis on the captured Abrams tank, which TV hosts said wasn’t the “wonder weapon” touted by the US.
“But that was all nonsense — look at this — all of its reputation has been destroyed,” a state reporter said, per Reuters’ translation.
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The exhibition, named “Trophies of the Russian Army,” is being held for a month at Victory Park, a memorial dedicated to the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.
A range of other military assets was present, including a Ukrainian T-72A tank, a US Bradley fighting vehicle, a French AMX-10 RC fighting vehicle, and an M777 Howitzer.
Smaller arms, such as American mortars, German mines, and an Israeli launcher, were also flaunted.
The BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, wrote that he saw a “long line of German armor” when visiting the exhibition, including a sign saying: “History is repeating itself.”
Russia has sought to cast its invasion of Ukraine as a defense of its sovereignty against NATO. It repeatedly says that Western equipment sent to Ukraine means that nations like the US are already at war with Russia.
The exhibition also comes as the Pentagon withdraws its Abrams tanks from the front lines in Ukraine due to concerns about Russian drone attacks. The US has given 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and five have been reported lost in combat.
Each costs around $10 million, and the US tanks were once seen as a key tool for Kyiv’s attempted retaking of its invaded lands. However, the widespread use of drones on the battlefield has undermined the Abrams’ effectiveness because the tanks are more easily detected and attacked.
The US has recently confirmed another $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, resupplying its forces with vital ammunition and arms to resist a grinding but advancing Russian push on the eastern front.
In response, Russia’s representatives have said that the Kremlin has already gained the upper hand in the war and that the new tranche of aid “will not change this dynamic.”
