Russia displays Western equipment captured from the Ukrainian army

Moscow – An exhibition of Western military equipment captured from forces in Kiev during the fighting in Ukraine opened in the Russian capital on Wednesday.

Organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the exhibition features more than 30 Western-made heavy equipment, including a US-made M1 Abrams main battle tank and a Bradley armored fighting vehicle, a Leopard 2 tank and a Marder armored infantry vehicle from Germany, and a French-made AMX-10RC armored vehicle.

The exhibition, which will remain open for a month at a World War II memorial site in western Moscow, also displays firearms, military papers and other documents.

Russian authorities have criticized the supply of Western weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, citing them as evidence of NATO’s direct involvement in the fighting. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Western military supplies to Kiev would not change the course of the conflict and prevent Russia from achieving its objectives.

The exhibition comes as Russian forces have seized more land in eastern Ukraine and taken advantage of delays in US military aid to push back under-equipped Kiev forces.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has praised the Moscow exhibition as a “brilliant idea.”

“The exhibition of trophy equipment will attract great interest from residents of Moscow, guests of our city and all residents of the country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We should all see the battered equipment of the enemy.”

Russian military bloggers drew parallels between the show and the exhibitions of captured Nazi military equipment that the Soviet Union controlled during and after World War II.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that foreign diplomats based in Moscow should take the opportunity to visit the exhibition to see how “the West is destroying peace on the planet.”

“This exhibition will be interesting for everyone who still believes in mythical ‘Western values’ or who does not notice NATO’s aggression against Russia and our people,” Zakharova said.