‘History repeating itself’ – gloating Kremlin parades its ‘trophy tanks’ captured on Ukraine battlefield

Western tanks and military hardware captured by Russian forces in Ukraine went on display in Moscow yesterday at an exhibition the Russian military said showed Western help would not stop it winning the war.

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.

According to Western and Ukrainian critics, much of Russia’s military hardware is old or outdated, and Russian battlefield gains have resulted from sheer force of numbers and high casualties. Both sides keep the number of dead and injured a secret but are known to have suffered heavy losses.

The Moscow display, which includes US, German and French tanks supplied to Ukraine, came days after the US approved a $61bn (€57bn) aid package for Kyiv and after Russia made some swift but incremental territorial gains in eastern Ukraine at a time when Kyiv’s forces say they lack ammo and manpower.

Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says it will eventually push Russian forces from its soil, held a similar exhibition along Kyiv’s central boulevard last summer featuring burnt-out husks of Russian tanks and fighting vehicles.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies says Russia has itself lost over 3,000 tanks in Ukraine, amounting to its entire pre-war active inventory, but has enough lower-quality armoured vehicles in storage for years of replacement and says it is now ramping up production of new tanks.

In addition to tanks, British and Australian armoured vehicles seized in Ukraine are on display in Moscow along with military hardware made in Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Finland, South Africa and the Czech Republic.

State TV’s Channel One said the star of the show was a captured American M1 Abrams battle tank, which it said had been taken out by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine using a guided rocket and kamikaze drones.

Clambering over the Abrams holding his microphone, a state TV correspondent told Russians that the tank had been billed in the United States as an indestructible “wonder weapon”.

“But that was all nonsense – look at this, all of its reputation has been destroyed,” he said.

Russia has ordered more weapons to the front lines in Ukraine in a scramble to make a significant breakthrough before the arrival of the US military aid.

“To maintain the required pace of the offensive… it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to troops, primarily weapons,” said Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister.

Moscow’s forces have made near daily advances in eastern Ukraine as they mount attacks in at least seven separate directions. And Kyiv has warned that up to 25,000 troops have been thrown into the fight for Chasiv Yar, a strategic town west of the Donetsk city of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian forces defending the area, a key position in their defence of the wider Donbas region, said they are still waiting for fresh ammunition supplies from the US amid intensifying attacks from Russian troops.

Chasiv Yar sits on a hill that offers a natural barrier, helping Kyiv to hold crucial supply lines to the north, as well as the regional capital of Kramatorsk.

Moscow is believed to have ordered its commanders in the area to capture the town by May 9, when the country celebrates Victory Day.

Analysts believe Russian forces are exploiting the window before US military supplies arrive in the hands of the Ukrainians defending the hilltop settlement.

It has become increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to hold on because of the significant advantages in artillery fire and aerial dominance enjoyed by the Russians.

But the front line has remained largely static in the past week, since US president Joe Biden signed off on the aid package for Kyiv, suggesting Ukraine is deliberately expending more ammunition to stall Russian advances.

Recent gains around Ocheretyne, a small village west of Avdiivka, could further add to Ukrainian headaches, with some predicting Russia could attempt to push its forces there north to join the Chasiv Yar front.

Ukraine recently surrendered three villages close to Ocheretyne in an attempt to save lives instead of holding ground that is not well fortified.

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