# Usability of captured Russian equipment **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usability-of-captured-russian-equipment/960754 "2022-03-09T15:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 7
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usability-of-captured-russian-equipment/960754/7 "2022-03-10T16:48:22Z")
A few threads that already touched on this directly - > [@What military hardware can be used without specialized training?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-hardware-can-be-used-without-specialized-training/960545): > > So, currently, the First World is supplying military equipment to Ukraine, but not any manpower. What kind of equipment can be meaningfully supplied in this way? On the one hand, you’ve got things like personal firearms. We could send crates of M16s, and the Ukrainian military could just distribute them to their personnel and they’d basically know what to do with them. If they’re more used to AK47s, then there might be a few details that would be different, but nothing you couldn’t pick up i… > [@How effective are NATO anti-tank weapons in Ukraine right now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-are-nato-anti-tank-weapons-in-ukraine-right-now/960515): > > [I’ve seen a photo shared a few times](https://www.businessinsider.com/videos-emerge-of-apparent-russian-military-vehicles-abandoned-in-ukraine-2022-3?r=US&IR=T) of what’s meant to be a Russian tank in Ukraine that suffered an ammunition detonation, popping it’s turret right off, and another in a ditch smoking. But any other photos of ruined military vehicles are of lesser armoured vehicles or trucks. Plenty of Russian tanks that are apparently abandoned after running out of fuel or stuck in mud too. Are the Western supplied weapons doing much against tanks? There can’t be a shortage of targets for them to be tried … Yes, both mention use of the NATO provided materials, but also include usage of former and current Russian/Soviet block equipment. Short version, small arms, easy. Military equipment that is non-weaponized (various trucks/transport/etc), also pretty easy. Specialized gear (weaponized or not) - as discussed upthread here, requires matching it with people who have the skills, so much more difficult. Hopefully the links will help prevent too much re-inventing the wheel. 🙂 --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usability-of-captured-russian-equipment/960754)._