Roving Periscope: How Russia became the biggest ‘supplier’ of arms to Ukraine?
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: What goes around, comes around.
Believe it or not, Russia has indirectly become the biggest ‘supplier’ of arms and ammunition to its adversary, Ukraine, in their fratricidal war which started on February 24 this year with the Russian invasion of its neighbor.
Besides, Ukraine is also getting military supplies and funds regularly from the West and its allies, which has not only prolonged the conflict but also enabled the war-ravaged but determined Kyiv to push out the Russians from thousands of acres of occupied territory.
The number of captured weapons is, however, greater than the supplies Ukraine is getting from the West. And the Ukrainians—children, civilians, and military—are recycling them to use against the invaders.
Now it has emerged that Ukraine is using a lot of captured Russian arms against Russian soldiers themselves.
According to the media reports, Ukraine has, so far, captured around 460 Russian main battle tanks, 92 self-propelled howitzers, 448 infantry fighting vehicles, 195 armored fighting vehicles, and 44 multiple-launch rocket systems, making Russia its biggest arms ‘supplier’. The Russian soldiers abjectly surrendered their positions and weapons at several places before they fled.
But Russia has also captured 109 Ukrainian tanks, 15 self-propelled guns, and 63 infantry fighting vehicles since February, The Wall Street Journal reported.
It said the Ukrainians have vast experience in adapting to and operating different weapons in a short span of time. This helped them repurpose the captured weapons and use them in the war.
“We started off as an infantry battalion, and now we are sort of becoming a mechanized battalion,” Ruslan Andriyko, Deputy Chief of Staff in a Ukrainian battalion that entered Izyum last month, was quoted as saying.
His battalion alone seized 10 modern T-80 tanks and five 2S5 Giatsint 152-mm self-propelled howitzers after entering the town.
They also captured more modern T-90 tanks and BTR-82 infantry fighting vehicles with automatic cannons in Izyum. Commanders of several brigades have reportedly been seen traveling on the captured vehicles. This includes the commander of the 92nd Brigade, who was seen riding a T-90. The 92nd Brigade played a major role in Kharkiv.
The smaller weapons are kept with the units and larger items like tanks and artillery are distributed in the military.
However, all the weapons captured are not high-tech. Ukraine is mixing them with modern equipment to improve efficiency.
“Gaining the trophies gives us a sense of pride and raises everyone’s combat spirits,” a Ukrainian commander said.
Last week, Russia had apparently to end the expensive war amid its conflict-fatigued soldiers losing their occupied land, annexed four disputed eastern territories of Ukraine to show them off as war trophies back home.
