Russia will soon be showcasing captured NATO vehicles from the battlefield in Ukraine at a month-long exhibition in Moscow.
Beginning May 1, more than 30 samples of military equipment made in Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Turkey, Ukraine, France, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and South Africa, will be displayed at Moscow's Victory Park, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
The exhibition will include an array of Western equipment captured by Russian forces throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine, such as the U.S. Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, and the French AMX-10 RC armored vehicle, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.
The Victory Park in Moscow, located on Poklonnaya Hill, is an open-air museum focused on commemorating Nazi Germany's defeat during World War II—known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. It displays many tanks and other vehicles that were used during World War II.
Russian media published footage on Thursday showing the NATO equipment in Moscow.
The exhibition will coincide with Moscow's Red Square Victory Day parade on May 9 to commemorate World War II.
Victory Day in the capital is typically marked with President Vladimir Putin addressing crowds and a military parade at the Red Square. The Russian leader typically uses the day of national celebration to show off the country's military power.
Last year's event was notably muted in contrast to previous parades, with just one tank taking part in the procession—an old Soviet T-34.
The parade saw Yars, S-400 and Iskander-M missile systems pass through the Red Square, where thousands of people were in attendance. The traditional airborne part of the Victory Day Parade was also canceled.
Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said the parade in Moscow didn't have any modern tanks, infantry fighting vehicles or aviation.
"It was one of the smallest in Russian history, taking less than 10 minutes," he said on X, formerly Twitter, last May.
Victory Day had also been scaled back nationwide, with at least 23 cities canceling parades to mark the day. Some regional leaders cited "security concerns" for scrapping the events.
This year, local authorities in several regions in Russia have already scrapped their traditional Victory Day parades, independent Russian news outlet Meduza reported on April 19.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
