[News] Russia flaunts Western military hardware captured in war in Ukraine

[Wolf.17]

Among the armour here is a British Army Husky tactical support vehicle which had been donated to Ukraine. Its windscreen is covered in bullet-holes.

Opposite the Husky I can see Western tanks that had been transferred to the Ukrainian military. There's an American Abrams which had been damaged on the battlefield. A German Leopard tank, too.

In fact, there's a long line of German armour. And above it a sign: "History is repeating itself."

The Russian authorities want the public to think that the war in Ukraine and World War Two have a common denominator: Russia as the victim, under attack from enemies abroad.

In reality, the two wars are very different. In 1941 Germany invaded Russia. In 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The war trophy exhibition is packed out.

In bright sunshine Russians are crowding round the military hardware, posing for photographs in front of tank gun barrels and, from the sounds of it, thoroughly enjoying the display.

"It's incredible. Jaw-dropping," says Natalya, who's here with her husband and small daughter.

"It's amazing to think that our guys managed to get these trophies."

The Russians have not invented the wheel here. In the past Ukraine has displayed Russian military hardware that had been captured by the Ukrainian army.

But for the Russian authorities, this exhibition has, I believe, several key objectives.

The first is to reinforce the Kremlin's narrative that, in Ukraine, Nato - and the West as a whole - are waging war on Russia. The aim here is to demonise the West yet further in the minds of Russians.

In reality, it was Russia that invaded Ukraine: something Western leaders had urged Moscow not to do. It was President Vladimir Putin's personal decision to launch what Russia still refers to as the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

With supplies of arms and ammunition, the West came to Kyiv's defence. It does not seek to destroy Russia, despite what Russian officials may claim.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68934205