A year of war and many losses: Russia is probably struggling with a serious material crisis.
There are reports of ancient mods on vehicles and hand spades as offensive weapons.
Munich / Kiev - Is there a major material crisis in the Russian military?
What has now become known about the equipment of Vladimir Putin's army sounds very much like it: there is talk of old ship guns on tanks and folding spades that the soldiers use in close combat.
Ukraine War: Russia rebuilds old troop carriers with naval guns
The US magazine
Forbes
reports that a "desperate" Russia is equipping old MT-LB armored personnel carriers with 80-year-old turrets.
Originally these were built for patrol boats.
According to this, Ukrainian soldiers captured such a converted vehicle with a 2M-7 gun, two 14.5 mm machine guns and a steel shield as cover for the first time in early February.
The site of discovery was around the city of Wuhdelar in the Donetsk region.
The small town has gained international notoriety after Russian troops suffered heavy casualties there in “the biggest tank battle of the war”.
A tank cemetery from 130 destroyed machines bears witness to this.
Also in early March, pictures circulated of MT-LBs with a 2M-3 gun complete with a roof turret, which is a stack of two 25mm guns in a steel hull.
This was mass-produced from 1950 to 1984 - as an anti-aircraft gun on over 30 ship classes.
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Ukrainian soldiers in the town of Trostyanets next to a wrecked Russian troop carrier.
© Fadel Senna/afp
Ukraine also uses old equipment and modifications
For
Forbes
, the case is clear: After the Russians "lost more than 9,000 tanks, combat vehicles, trucks and howitzers" in the first year of their broader war against Ukraine, the aggressor is running out of modern armored vehicles - and they can't move fast enough build new ones to compensate.
However, according to the magazine, the Russians are not the only ones relying on old equipment and modifications in the Ukraine war.
The Ukrainians are also converting old MT-LBs by fitting them with 100mm anti-tank guns.
This increases the range significantly, from 2,700 meters to 9,000 meters.
Spade as an offensive weapon: how serious is the Russian lack of material?
Russian MT-LBs can also be used as anti-aircraft guns,
Forbes
continues.
Without radar, however, there is no central control unit to guide the missiles.
This in turn strengthens the suspicion that Russia is simply ordering the conversions for lack of alternatives.
Old BRT-50 armored personnel carriers are also said to have been photographed at the front.
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
British military experts also recently spoke of arms and ammunition bottlenecks on the Russian side, which are said to have bizarre consequences.
In its daily short report, the British Ministry of Defense wrote on Sunday that Moscow is also using ordinary field spades in close combat.
The background to this is statements by Russian reservists who are said to have stated that they were only sent with "firearms and shovels" to attack a concrete Ukrainian base.
According to Great Britain, the Russian armed forces' MPL-50 field spade, which is actually an entrenchment tool, is a myth.
This turns the spade into a deadly weapon, although it has hardly been developed further since its introduction in 1869.
(cgsc with dpa)
List of rubrics: © Fadel Senna/afp