Russia parades Western ‘trophy’ tanks captured in Ukraine war, including US-made Abrams
- Moscow exhibit features a M1 Abrams tank taken out by a ‘guided rocket and kamikaze drones’
- Russia says Western weapons are evidence of Nato’s direct involvement in the Ukraine war
Western tanks and military hardware captured by Russian forces in Ukraine have gone on display in Moscow at an exhibition the Russian military said showed Western help would not stop it winning the war.
On Wednesday, long queues of people formed on what was a sunny May Day public holiday at the entrance to the exhibition, entitled “Trophies of the Russian Army”, which is being held outside a museum celebrating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
“History is repeating itself,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement, adding that the Soviet Union had in 1943 also put on a display of captured tanks and hardware, in this case from the German army.
“Strength is in the truth. It’s always been that way. In 1943 and today. These war trophies reflect our strength. The more of them there are, the stronger we are,” the ministry stated, predicting a Russian victory in what it officially calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“No Western military equipment will change the situation on the battlefield,” the statement added.