Russian Army reportedly has dipped into its stockpile of antiquated Cold War-era vehicles and sent them to Ukraine.
Russia’s ancient BTR-50 armored personnel carriers were taken out of storage and spotted on the way to Ukraine.
BTR-50 is an armored personnel carrier developed on the PT-76 light tank chassis in 1952. The vintage carrier can be armed with 7.62 or 12.7mm machine guns and carry 12 to 20 soldiers.
Russia is forced to look for ways to quickly restore its war-torn armored vehicle fleet and transfer Cold War-era combat vehicles to the front. In Ukraine, among others, outdated T-62 tanks and S-60 anti-aircraft guns ended up.
Most experts believed the strategic balance of forces suggested Russia should have won through the meat grinder approach rather than by tactical brilliance. But the Russian forces faced fierce resistance from the Ukrainian military and the local population.
Russian forces are visually confirmed to have lost thousands of main battle tanks and flying vehicles since its all-out invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.