“History repeats itself” is written in large black letters on a roof with a German armored vehicle from the Second World War underneath it. This 1942 Marder, with the black and white cross of the Wehrmacht on the flank, stands among dozens of modern army vehicles captured by Russia in Ukraine.
“Everyone has forgotten history: the Swedes, the Germans and all the other countries,” says Tatjana, a woman in her fifties. She looks at the war trophy from yesteryear. ‘But history will repeat itself now, with our victory. I came here to see us beat the shit out of them. That we are stronger.’
‘The fact that an armored vehicle from 1942 is here has only one purpose: to show what happens when you take on Russia. The same thing happens to everyone,” agrees the elderly Viktor with a wry smile from behind sunglasses.
About the author
Geert Groot Koerkamp is Russia correspondent de Volkskrant. He lives in Moscow.
In recent days, Tatyana and Viktor, together with tens of thousands of other Muscovites, have made their way to the monumental Victory Park in Moscow, which is dedicated to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. This is celebrated in Russia on May 9, including the traditional military parade on Red Square and in the presence of President Putin.
But now visitors have flocked to catch a glimpse of Russia’s new battlefield trophies, which are on display here for a month. The security checks are strict and quickly lead to long lines. Despite the spring heat, bottles of water inexorably disappear into the garbage bin at the entrance.
Great Patriotic War
Both the location and the timing should emphasize that Russia’s current “special military operation” is in fact a continuation of the Great Patriotic War, as World War II is called here. The undisputed showpiece of the exhibition is an enormous German Leopard tank, surrounded by a dense crowd.
It is almost impossible to get through, because many attendees want a selfie with the famous machine. As with the American Abrams tanks a little further on, the barrel of the Leopard has been pushed down, to emphasize that this tank was no match for its Russian opponents.
“You see the greatness of our army,” says Aleksandr, a young father with two small children hanging from his trouser leg. ‘It is of course sad that all this is happening, that there is fighting. But I hope that victory will be ours soon and that this will come to an end.’
That won’t be for long, he fears. ‘Unfortunately there have always been wars, the generation before that had Chechnya, before that there was Afghanistan and the Second World War. That will probably be no different in the future. People simply cannot agree in a normal way.’ The trio shuffle further towards a Bradley armored vehicle, with a Turkish flag on the side.
Hundreds of trophies
The collection shows a modest part of the hundreds of trophies that have been transported to Russia since 2022. The loot mainly consists of Ukrainian weaponry dating from the Soviet era, but also increasingly of material supplied by the West. Some of this has already been seen before in the Patriot Park, a large army exhibition complex about 40 kilometers outside Moscow.
Ukraine also has captured Russian weapons on display. On both sides of the front, human and material losses are significant, but reliable official figures are lacking.
The message of the exhibition in Moscow leaves nothing to be desired in terms of clarity and is addressed to both a Russian and a foreign audience: that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield, regardless of the military support that Western countries continue to provide to Ukraine. ‘Our victory is inevitable’ is another slogan that is prominently displayed in the Victory Park these days.
That is why there are not only German and American tanks here, but a wide range of Western vehicles, supplied by Australia, France, Great Britain and Sweden. There is also at least one YPR-765 armored vehicle from the Netherlands, although an American flag is stuck on it. This modification of the American M113 was donated to Ukraine last year and captured by the Russians in January not far from the town of Bachmut, which fell into the hands of the Russian army after months of heavy fighting.
From The Netherlands
The marks of the battle are clearly visible, but the vehicle is otherwise intact. Photos taken of the interior at the time show Dutch inscriptions. A soldier who provides the public with explanations confirms that the armored vehicle comes from the Netherlands, although he is not sure how and where it fell into the hands of Russian troops. ‘It is quite old equipment, but it still performs well.’
For those who want to move from the static museum pieces to the atmosphere of the battle scene, a large screen has been set up in the middle of the site, on which video images show how military equipment is hit with drones and artillery. Most visitors pass by indifferently, only a few remain standing. These are images that can be seen every day on social media.
Marina, a woman in her early thirties, does not even look at her, nor does the rest of the exhibition. She waits for her husband, who has disappeared into the crowd. “I would rather have gone to the park,” she laughs. ‘We women don’t really like tanks. But my husband had to go here.’
