WARSAW, Poland (AP) – The display of war-damaged Russian weapons in central Warsaw serves as a reminder of the horrors of the war in Ukraine, but also that Russian aggression can be defeated, officials said Monday.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar and Polish Prime Minister Michal Dworczyk’s chief of staff unveiled the exhibition in Warsaw’s Castle Square, a symbolic site that was carefully restored after its destruction during World War II.
Dvorchik said the damaged T-72 tank, self-propelled howitzer and elements of Russia’s missile systems showed that the Russian army, once considered invincible, could be defeated. The equipment fell into the hands of Ukrainian forces at the beginning of the war, which began with the Russian invasion on February 24.
“This Russian equipment, destroyed by Ukrainian soldiers, proves that determination, courage and professionalism can lead to the defeat of the Russian army,” Dvorchik said.
The tank was destroyed on March 31 in fighting near the village of Dmitrivka, west of Kyiv. The labels of the exhibits in Ukrainian, Polish and English said that the body of a commander of a Russian tank platoon had been found near the tank.
Malyar said the equipment also demonstrates the effectiveness of Ukraine’s defense systems – some of which are provided by European countries – and stressed the need for more such support.
The exhibition, entitled “For Our and Your Freedom”, opened on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid, which aims to strengthen the rapid reaction force of the military alliance and military support for Ukraine.
Malyar said Russian artillery was 10 times more powerful than Ukrainian. Ukraine is urging its Western allies to provide more military equipment and ammunition to support its defense against heavy Russian attacks in the east.
“Moscow still has the Soviet ambition to bring Russian tanks into the Atlantic, to the English Channel,” Malyar said.
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“With this exhibition, we want to show that, thanks to Ukraine, thanks to our resistance, such tanks can only reach Europe as museum exhibits,” she said.
There are plans to move the weapons display case to the Czech Republic and elsewhere in Europe, Malyar said.
Giorgio Buonvicini, a tourist from Genoa, Italy, said “people need to know and need to … better understand what’s going on.”
Ukraine’s neighbor Poland is a staunch supporter of Kyiv, seeing Ukraine’s resistance as a defense of the whole of Europe.
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