A deputy from the State Duma representing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation proposed displaying captured NATO equipment in Moscow, including items that broke down during the Ukraine conflict. This proposal was reported by the official Russian parliamentary website.
The idea was timed to align with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Prokhorovka, which falls on July 12.
During a plenary session, the deputy noted that in the war’s early days, captured German tanks were exhibited in Moscow and argued that Russian allies are showing heroism today. He urged the government to request the Defense Ministry to organize a display of damaged NATO equipment, including Leopard tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as a public demonstration.
The State Duma Chairman supported the proposal, encouraging colleagues to back it and suggesting that burnt equipment could be placed near the embassies of nations that sent equipment to Ukraine.
Applause followed the deputy’s remarks. Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin instructed Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Defense Committee, to address the matter.
“A Demonstration of Strength and Power”
The exhibit proposed by the deputy was already held at Moscow’s Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure. The display opened before the current conflict began, near the site of Prokhorovka on June 22, 1943, with the opening date closely tied to the second anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War.
An indicative list of exhibits, reported by Kommersant, included 34 aircraft across 12 types in the aviation section; 128 artillery systems and 40 mortars in the artillery section; 58 armored vehicles and tanks in the tank section. Additional displays covered transport, communications, small arms, ammunition, and related property. The entire exhibition spanned about 10.5 hectares.
The inaugural decree described the museum exposition as a means to present weapons and equipment captured by the Red Army to illustrate the strength and capability of Soviet forces. The layout aimed to highlight the captured enemy gear alongside a message of resilience, underscoring that the Red Army faced a determined adversary and that victory would require time, sacrifice, and the mobilization of all available talents.
The Moscow mayor’s website, drawing from the capital’s Main Archive Department, offered further details about organizing the exhibition of seized weapons. For instance, the central entrance to Gorky Park was rebuilt for the event, and a new fence was erected. Orientation measures included two 20-meter obelisks along the Moskva River embankment and the Flower Path axis. The park’s infrastructure—water and sewer systems, street lighting in accordance with blackout protocols—was upgraded, and amenities such as fountains, kiosks, and public restrooms were added to accommodate visitors.
According to historical records cited on the city’s site, the exhibition lasted until October 1, 1948, and attracted more than 7.5 million visitors.
Ukraine’s Exhibitions
Similar displays have already occurred in Ukraine. The first opened on May 21, 2022, on Mikhailovska Square in Kyiv, featuring equipment such as the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, T-72B3 tanks, BMD-2 and BMD-4 variants, an electronic warfare vehicle, and the remains of a Tiger off-road vehicle used in attacks on Kyiv.
A larger exhibition followed on August 20, 2022, in Khreshchatyk, reportedly comprising around 80 pieces of equipment including T90, T80, and T72 tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts, rocket artillery, armored vehicles, Pantsir systems, and the Pantsir-S1, along with other destroyed or captured gear from various regions. The display also featured a TOS-1A “Solntsepek” and a Khosta self-propelled howitzer.
A separate event occurred in Berlin on February 24, 2023, when a T-72B tank was positioned opposite the Russian embassy on Unter den Linden. Organizers said the tank had been knocked out near the Ukrainian village of Dmitrovka, near Bucha.