Putin sends ‘ominous signal to West’ as exhibition in Moscow shows captured NATO military equipment

Putin issues dire warning to West as Russian exhibition shows captured NATO military equipment, reports say Daily Express.

Vladimir Putin delivered a provocative message to the West just days after the US and UK agreed to send billions more in military aid to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin officials put the finishing touches on a public display of captured NATO weapons in Moscow. The military equipment includes British vehicles, German tanks and American artillery weapons, all captured in pristine condition from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russians will be able to view dozens of captured military equipment in a Moscow square during the month-long exhibition. The exhibition is described as a celebration of Russia’s success “against Ukrainian fighters and their Western backers”.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that more than 30 units of military equipment produced in Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and South Africa will be on display in Moscow’s Victory Park.

Among the captured “trophies” are the British Husky TSV armored vehicle, the American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle and the French AMX-10 RC armored vehicle.

In addition to the equipment, Ukrainian “war documents, maps and ideological literature” will also be presented in the exhibition.

Victory Park is an open-air museum dedicated to the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.

The exhibition will be held in parallel with the Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, commemorating the victory over the Nazis.

The “NATO exhibition” is seen as Vladimir Putin’s taunt to the West, just days after the US and UK agreed to send billions more in military aid.

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged the UK’s largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine.

The UK plans to send 400 vehicles, more than 1,600 missiles, 4 million rounds of ammunition, 60 boats, as well as an additional 500 million pounds (1.15 billion leva) in military funding, bringing the total to 3 billion pounds sterling this year. financial year.

The US has announced it will provide $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, including much-needed ammunition for the Patriot air defense system.

Meanwhile, the US military has revealed that Ukraine removed US Abrams M1A1 tanks because Russian drones could detect them and launch attacks.

Five of the 31 Abrams tanks that the US sent in January 2023 have already been destroyed in Russian attacks.