When the Ukrainian military stumbles upon abandoned Russian armored vehicles on the battlefield, they know they've found a rare treasure.. The BMP-3, armed with a 100mm machine gun and a 30mm cannon, was one of several pieces of such equipment that have been taken from the Russians since the beginning of the invasion.. But about a month ago, after several weeks of use by the Ukrainian military, the engine compartment and fuel system of this car began to fail.. Now it is being repaired somewhere in the north of the Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian army captured hundreds of so-called trophies: Russian tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. And they became a valuable asset of Kyiv. The crew that repairs these tanks jokingly calls them " But many of these trophies are in hangars awaiting repairs.. Because finding the right spare parts for Russian equipment is not easy. The brigade supporting the equipment of the 14th separate mechanized brigade cannot find parts for the BMP-3.

“Obviously, this equipment should fight the enemy, and not stand in the hangar,” said 47-year-old commander of the repair battalion Ruslan.

[see_also ids\u003d"

But unlike older models, the BMP-3 cannot be repaired using parts from similar Ukrainian vehicles.. Ruslan says that perhaps another brigade has the same BMP. But the search for spare parts is hampered by the lack of a specific centralized system.. The Ukrainian military admitted that it would be useful for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to have a program or a database with data on all the spare parts that all brigades have.

“It would save time and resources,” he said..

A press officer of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade jokingly explained to the Washington Post that it is in Ukrainian nature to accumulate valuable property.. Therefore, simply asking another brigade to give away a similar captured tank or armored vehicle is not always easy.. In the Donetsk region, Vadym Ustimenko, who works in a tank unit of the 25th Air Assault Brigade, said he had switched to another tank “six or seven times” in the past 6-7 months.. Because they often need repairs. He currently operates a T-80, one of the best models in the Ukrainian arsenal..

The 25th Air Assault Brigade was the first to enter Izyum after a hasty Russian retreat from the Kharkiv region in September. Then the Russian army left a large number of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

“If we talk only about tanks, then there were really a lot of them. But few of them were on the move. Those that could be started right away or put in order in a few minutes could be counted on the fingers of one hand.. There were still probably 30% of cars that needed repair, but were suitable for use.. And another 50% is just scrap, which required a lot of effort, ”explained Ustimenko.

[see_also ids\u003d"

Tanks that were in poor condition could be taken apart for parts, another soldier from Ustimenko's unit said.. Since a significant part of Ukrainian weapons comes from the Soviet era, tanks over 30 years old can be repaired with parts from Russian models that are only 5 years old.. The Ukrainian military said that his unit from time to time turns to other brigades for details. Another soldier said he once asked for tank ammunition from another brigade nearby, but was refused..

However, Ukraine can repair its equipment at the front line using available spare parts.. But if what the Western countries handed over breaks, this means that these weapons need to be sent to Poland.. This means that a critical howitzer could disappear from the battlefield for several weeks..

“The weapons that the United States transfers most often come from warehouses, which means they are not new,” said Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center..

She takes part in meetings with Western politicians, trying to convince them to send modern fighter jets and tanks to Ukraine.. She explains that when broken equipment has to be sent to Poland, it creates a big delay and is a big disappointment for the Ukrainian military.. At a repair station in the Kharkiv region, soldiers from the repair battalion work on two Russian tanks and several infantry fighting vehicles, fixing engine, control system and machine gun turret problems.. The first thing the Ukrainian military does when they repair captured vehicles is to repaint them, eliminating the “Z” symbols.. Ruslan told the publication that the most difficult stage in the repair of a Russian tank is identifying the problem.. The Ukrainian military managed to capture many tanks near Kupyansk during the counteroffensive.

[see_also ids\u003d"

Each brigade has a technical intelligence unit whose task is to search the fields to find abandoned tanks and other equipment, and then transport them to repair stations.. With the onset of cold weather, it became easier to search for tanks and other armored vehicles. As there are no leaves on the trees and visibility has improved. But winter creates more difficult conditions for armored vehicles, contributing to greater wear and tear.. Constant power outages are another hurdle. When there is no light all day, it greatly slows down the work of repair teams.. Even generators do not provide the necessary amount of electricity to power all the necessary tools.. Ruslan says that this is partly the goal of Vladimir Putin.