Russian soldiers show off captured Western tanks, U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as 'trophies'
By jdheyes // 2023-06-14
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The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to drag on and is now in its 16th month and shows no signs of letting up. And while lots of videos have been posted to social media regarding destroyed and captured Russian equipment, a new video has surfaced wherein Russian troops show off captured Ukrainian equipment referred to as "trophies." And worse, the gear is Western-made. According to the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD), their troops have reportedly seized NATO-supplied armored vehicles in the Zaporizhia region. The vehicles were apparently abandoned by retreating Ukrainian soldiers, the report said. The MoD released footage showing Russian troops inspecting the captured German-made Leopard 2 main battle tank and US-produced Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, which were found to be in relatively good condition, with some still having their engines running. The Russian military has referred to these Western-supplied heavy armored vehicles as "our trophies." One Russian soldier can be seen in the video stating, "This [explicit] hardware is not as scary as it seemed." He then picks up a rocket-propelled grenade launcher which was left atop what appears to be a U.S.-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The Russian MoD statement declared that the condition the Ukrainian equipment was found in "indicates the rapid pace of the engagement and the abandonment of the battle-ready hardware by the Ukrainian armed forces," according to a statement in state media. And Agence France Presse reported that "The Defense Ministry said several of the captured vehicles had working engines, suggesting that the battles they were involved in had been short and that Ukrainian troops had 'fled' their offensive positions." Following reports last week of the Russian military destroying a Leopard 2 battle tank and several other NATO-supplied vehicles, including Bradleys, the recent development showcases Moscow's eagerness to present evidence of disabled and damaged Western heavy weaponry. It remains somewhat unclear whether the footage released on Tuesday depicts a fresh batch of destroyed vehicles or if it pertains to the same incident from last week, Zero Hedge reported. Tyler Rogoway, who is the editor-in-chief of The War Zone, which is part of The Drive, wrote: Ever since more advanced NATO armor was possibly in the works for Ukraine, I stressed that we will be seeing burned out/destroyed examples, potentially a lot of them, and that is going to be the reality that may be a tough pill to swallow for some. These things are not invincible by any means, and NATO fights with them in complex combined arms manner that helps maximize their advantages and minimize their vulnerabilities. This is just the beginning. We will see many more destroyed western main battle tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Russia will learn how to best effectively attack them based on Ukraine's tactics and Ukraine will learn how best to preserve them while using them effectively. This happens beyond accelerated training. Lessons learned the hard way, in blood. If you were not expecting this, you have listened to the wrong perspectives, and this is just the beginning. "Unseating an enemy force that had over a year to prepare for just this battle was never going to be some cakewalk. Anyone who pushed that idea is not living in reality," Rogoway added. "Time will tell how this all plays out, but dead armor, including advanced western types, is going to be a common facet of this offensive, not some stunning exception." Nevertheless, the Biden regime -- backed by congressional Democrats who used to hate endless wars -- says it won't be deterred from continuing to supply taxpayer bought-and-paid-for equipment to a foreign country at war. The U.S.-backed Voice of America reported Monday, "The United States is providing up to $325 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, a U.S. defense official tells VOA." Sources include: VOANews.com ZeroHedge.com Twitter.com
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