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Russia is using an outdoor exhibition to boast about its “trophies” from the war in Ukraine.
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The exhibition featured more than 30 NATO vehicles taken from Ukrainian forces, such as an Abrams tank.
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Russia has sought to portray NATO’s supply of weapons to Ukraine as an act of war.
Russia launched an outdoor exhibition on Wednesday showing more than 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization vehicles it captured from Ukraine.
Among the seized goods on display were a US-made Abrams tank, a German Leopard tank, a British Husky support vehicle and dozens of vehicles from countries including France, Sweden and Australia.
Photos from the opening showed visitors taking selfies with an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, with its nose pointed at the ground and its 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 statement. Telegram Post announcing the exhibition.
Reported by Reuters that state media placed special emphasis on the captured Abrams tank, which TV presenters said was not the “miracle weapon” touted by the US.
“But this was all nonsense – look – his entire reputation was destroyed,” said a state reporter, according to a Reuters translation.
The exhibition, called “Trophies of the Russian Army”, will be held for a month in Victory Park, a memorial dedicated to the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union during World War II.
A number of other military assets were present, including a Ukrainian T-72A tank, a US Bradley fighting vehicle, a French AMX-10 RC fighting vehicle and an M777 howitzer.
Smaller weapons, such as American mortars, German mines and an Israeli launcher, were also displayed.
The BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg wrote that he saw a “long line of German armor” when visiting the exhibit, including a sign that said, “History is repeating itself.”
Russia sought to present its invasion of Ukraine as a defense of its sovereignty against NATO. It repeatedly says that Western equipment sent to Ukraine means nations like the US are already at war with Russia.
The exposure also comes as the Pentagon says Kiev has withdrawn its Abrams tanks from the front lines due to concerns about Russian drone strikes. The US gave 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and five were reported lost in action.
Each one costs around 10 million dollars, and US tanks have already been seen as a fundamental tool in the attempt to retake land invaded by Kiev. However, the widespread use of drones on the battlefield has undermined the effectiveness of Abrams because tanks are more easily detected and attacked.
The US recently confirmed an additional $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, replenishing its forces with ammunition and weapons vital to resist growing Russian pressure on the eastern front.
In response, Russia’s representatives stated that the Kremlin had already gained the upper hand in the war and that the new tranche of aid “it won’t change this dynamic.”
Read the original article at Business Insider
