NATO vehicles caught in a crash: Russian propaganda mission stalls
In Bashkortostan, a republic within the Russian Federation, an accident occurred. Involved was a recovery vehicle transporting military equipment—NATO armoured personnel carriers that Putin's army captured in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation confirmed that a KamAZ transporting military equipment collided with a Kia passenger car, resulting in both vehicles ending up off the road, and two people were injured. The video and photos posted on social media show that the lorry with NATO vehicles tipped over on its side.
Failed transport of NATO equipment in Russia
According to reports from Ukrainian media, the NATO equipment was being transported from Ufa, where, in recent days, an exhibition of captured NATO equipment took place. The Russians systematically organise such exhibitions in different parts of the country and, therefore, often need to transport NATO equipment. These events serve propaganda purposes.
In this case, the captured VAB and M113 armoured personnel carriers from Ukraine were being transported. France provided the former to the defending army, and the latter by the United States and several other European allies. Although they are no longer the newest equipment, they have proven helpful for the Ukrainian army.
M113 are now even among the most represented Western vehicles in the Ukrainian army, which uses them for transporting soldiers and equipment, as well as evacuating injured personnel from the battlefield. Inside, they can carry up to 11 people, and the maximum speed a driver can reach is about 65 km/h (and 6 km/h in water).
Besides organising propaganda exhibitions, the Russians also use NATO equipment for other purposes. Experts examine more valuable (newer) captures to learn about specific technologies used in NATO equipment. This was the case, for instance, with Abrams tanks and Leopard 2A6, which ended up in Nizhny Tagil at the Uralvagonzavod plant.
