Russia is now Ukraine's biggest weapons supplier, investigation finds
An investigation by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has found that Russia has unwittingly become Ukraine's biggest weapons supplier in the war - outstripping huge supplies from the West.
During the conflict, Russian weapons seized and used by Ukrainian forces include tanks, howitzers and guns. The report claims this haul is helping forces retake parts of the eastern Donetsk region, including the town of Lyman, which was recaptured last weekend after Kremlin forces withdrew.
The WSJ quotes a Ukrainian battalion deputy chief of staff, Ruslan Andrikyo, saying that one battalion seized 10 modern T-80 tanks and five 2S5 Giatsint 152-mm self-propelled howitzers after it entered the town of Izyum last month.
He adds: "We've got so many trophies that we don't even know what to do with them.
"We started off as an infantry battalion, and now we are sort of becoming a mechanized battalion.
The WSJ claims that Ukraine has captured 460 Russian main battle tanks, 92 self-propelled howitzers, 448 infantry fighting vehicles, 195 armoured fighting vehicles and 44 multiple-launch rocket systems, citing visual evidence compiled from social media and news reports from Oryx, an open-source intelligence consulting firm.
However, it noted that the real number is likely higher as not every captured piece of equipment gets filmed.
@Masno