Russia’s weapons are ineffective and obsolete, with armoured vehicles and helicopters unable to withstand small arms fire and missiles that have only a 33 per cent chance of hitting their target, a government report has revealed.
According to an official dossier compiled by the Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, Russian weapons recovered from the battlefield are unreliable and do not meet modern requirements.
It claimed that Russia had to suspend multimillion-pound arms contracts with other nations, either because of sanctions or the need to replenish losses of combat equipment in Ukraine.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by a global affairs analyst, Mr Emesakoru Donatus, noted that the armoured protection of the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter one of Russia’s most modern can be pierced with 7.62mm small arms.
The statement reads: “Moscow calls this helicopter a flying tank whose armoured cabin can withstand the impact of 12.7mm calibre bullets and the rest of the components are reliably protected.
“However, as it turned out in practice, the Ka-52 can be disabled with a 7.62mm machine gun, a translated version of the document states.
“Experts evaluated the effectiveness of Russias missiles on Ukrainian territory. The report claims that the 3M-14 Kalibr sea-based cruise missile has only a 33 per cent chance of hitting its target. About 30 per cent of the missiles used hit civilian objects. Another missile is said to have an accuracy of only 49 per cent.
“Russia launched 80 Grad rockets overnight at the town of Marhanets, near a Russian-held power plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine. The strikes killed 13 civilians and injured 11 people.
“It was a terrible night, Valentin Reznichenko, the regional governor, wrote on Telegram, urging residents to shelter when they hear air raid sirens.
“‘I am asking and begging you … don’t let the Russians kill you,’ Reznichenko said. He added that more than 20 buildings were damaged.
“The BM-21 Grad, meaning hail in Russian, is a multiple-launch rocket system capable of firing 40 rockets in under 20 seconds. It is considered less precise than some of Russias other missiles, but capable of causing significant destruction to built-up areas.
“The report adds that the Ural-63706-0010 Tornado-U truck, designed to transport weapons and military hardware, is meant to have enhanced armoured protection but has weak protection against damage by small arms, forcing troops on the ground to improvise with other methods, according to the defence ministry.
“The BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, which can be dropped by paratroopers to provide firepower and support, is weakly protected even against small arms and mine fragments and artillery shells. About a dozen of these have been confirmed as captured by Ukrainian forces.
“Modernised T-72B3 tanks, Russias main battle tank, BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers and other armoured vehicles have been successfully destroyed by Ukrainian troops using anti-tank weapons supplied by the West.
“Issues with the drones being used by the Russians were also raised: the Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle is said to be made up of a large number of components from foreign companies that wear out quickly and quickly fail.
“The Eleron-3SV battery-powered drone has an Olympus camera that has worse specifications than a Sony camera from a similar device manufactured in North Korea, the report notes.
“Russia’s Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system is unable to fight swarms of drones and lacks protection against air strikes, it says. A Ukrainian defence source added that the Ukrainian military was sending two drones for distraction purposes and three to hit targets, which the Russian system was unable to cope with.
“As a consequence of western sanctions and the need to replace destroyed equipment in Ukraine, the Russian government has been forced to halt arms contracts, the report adds.
In March Moscow suspended a contract for delivery of two Ka-32 helicopters to Serbia. In May and June Russia informed Algeria about delays to the execution of contracts for the supply of military equipment, including amphibious aircraft and software devices.
“In July the defence ministry proposed to terminate the contract for the supply of Orlan-10 drones to Myanmar and pay compensation. It also offered to postpone the supply of four Su-30SME fighters, two Pantsir-S1 air defence systems and a radar system, the report says.
“Russia also informed Vietnam about the suspension of its supply of artillery systems and anti-tank missile systems, as well as its inability to build Kazan Ansat light helicopters because of international sanctions, the report says.
“Moscow is delaying the start of the implementation of a contract for AK-203 assault rifles to India and contracts to supply Kazakhstan and Belarus with equipment for the Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system are also at risk of failure.
“Russia continued to suffer heavy losses yesterday, with Ukraines air force claiming nine Russian jets were destroyed in a strike on an airbase in occupied Crimea.”
