Tanks, armored vehicles, howitzers, some with recent fire marks and shrapnel. They are the war trophies of the Russian army which are exhibited at the largest military fair in this country to fuel Russian patriotism after nearly six months of bloody fighting in Ukraine.

“The peculiarity of this howitzer is that it is made of 80% titanium, therefore it is easy to carry by plane“one of the officers attending the outdoor exhibition as part of the Armia-2022 military forum told Efe, referring to a US-made M-777 Howitzer cannon.

The artillery piece, adds the Russian army, was captured in Lisichansk, the last city in the Lugansk region of Ukraine to be taken over by Russian troops and, after a small overhaul, is operational again.

“Its maximum range with a smart bullet is 40 kilometers, with normal shells it is from 26 to 30 kilometers, but the West does not supply Ukraine with smart shells,” adds the young officer, according to whom it is a tall “howitzer” precision”.

This 155mm gun, known to pro-Russian militias as “Three aces”, in reference to the three sects of its brand, it is just one of more than 450 pieces on display whose purpose is to show the broad geography of the countries supplying arms to Ukraine.

Several armored vehicles deserve special attention, including a British Saxon, an Australian Pinzgauer 712M, a South African Mamba Mk2, and even a German MineWolf minesweeper.

western trophies

The vast majority are in working order and may be at the forefront right now, some show fresh paint, the tires are polished, but in many you can see traces of bullets and shrapnel that have damaged the bodywork or even broken the armored glass of the windshield or windows.

All, inevitably, are accompanied by a poster indicating the country of production, its characteristics and, above all, where they were captured, which also draws a map of the Russian advance in the military campaign: Mariúpol, Lisichansk, Severodonetsk. ..

“The West supplies these weapons in bulk and we annihilate them at the same rate“, smiles the young officer, who proposes to look at other pieces, such as the American Javelin portable anti-tank missiles or the British NLAW, while Russian patriotic songs play in the background.

This, added to dozens of handguns and automatic rifles of different manufacture, ranging from US small arms to Czech or Yugoslav-made rifles, as well as mortars of different calibers.

An example could not be missing from the sample. of the Turkish assault drone Bayraktarthat although it played a decisive role during the last Nagorno-Karabakh war, it did not prove to be a decisive weapon in Ukraine.

However, the exposure also extends to the media and even military kits, where a Ukrainian and an American are displayed for comparison, or campaign rations, even from both countries.

a military party

But this exhibition is only a small part of what happens in the immense exhibition center of the Kubinka Patriot Parkon the outskirts of Moscow, a vast area of ​​5,500 hectares whose purpose is the patriotic education of the new Russian generations.

Armia-2022, which was attended by representatives from more than 100 countries, which you will be able to see this week “over 28,000” types of modern dual-use weapons, civilian and military, is also a feast for the Russian public, who flock to greet the summer.

Not only can you admire all kinds of combat machines, planes, helicopters, special equipment of all kinds, from sweepers to machines for the installation of pontoons, intercontinental missiles, drones or military kitchens.

Some of them offer countryside food to visitors to set the military spirit of the fair.

Meanwhile, at the fair, manufacturers, experts, buyers and the general public can see the full range of military productions not only from Russia but also from invited countries, such as Iran and China.

The pavilion of the Russian space agency Roscosmos arouses particular interest in the public, which for this occasion has reserved several previews, some not at all peaceful, like the presentation of the Puziriok kamikaze drone or a new dual-use electric vehicle.

However, interest has focused on the first presentation of the model of the future Russian orbital space station, which Roscosmos hopes to launch starting in 2025, after leaving the International Space Station (ISS).

The model presents the station in its second phase of development, which includes the presence of the basic modules, scientific, energy, block and service platforms, to which the Russian spacecraft Soyuz, Progres and Oriol are attached. the latter in the design phase.

The decision to withdraw from the ISS was made public in April this year, in the context of sanctions imposed on Russia by the West due to its military campaign in Ukraine, some of which included Russian space companies.

Source: EFE

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