Russia resorts to using Nazi weapons in Ukraine war as Moscow raids museums to restock arms
Ukraine’s “Tur” reconnaissance unit said it discovered Nazi detonators inside a Russian ammunition depot. 225th Separate Assault Battalion
Russia is allegedly turning to decades-old Nazi-era weaponry in its ongoing war against Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces claim the Kremlin is resorting to museum relics to sustain its depleting arsenal.
Ukraine’s “Tur” reconnaissance unit reported discovering German-made detonators from the 1930s inside a Russian ammunition depot. Photos shared by the unit show cone-shaped devices bearing the Nazi Reichsadler eagle and swastika, stamped with the year 1934.
“Nazi weapons are still being used to kill people,” the unit wrote in a post on Telegram. “The Hitler and Stalin regimes are gone, but the Putin regime has replaced them; the names differ, but the essence remains the same.” The post criticized Russia for claiming to be fighting Nazism in Ukraine, while allegedly employing weapons from the Nazi regime itself.
The discovery has renewed historical parallels between Russia’s current leadership and the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. The Ukrainian unit referenced the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which included secret protocols to divide Eastern Europe. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east—just weeks after Germany had attacked from the west.
“These detonators likely come from that era,” the unit claimed. “They were preserved in Russian depots after being supplied to the Soviet Union under a commercial agreement with Nazi Germany in 1939 and 1940.”
Ukrainian officials and military personnel say it is not unusual for Russian forces to use outdated equipment on the battlefield. Major Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment, told The Post that Russian troops have been observed using gear dating back to World War II—and even earlier.
“We’ve seen them using bolt-action Mosin–Nagant rifles, which were first developed in the late 1800s,” he said. “These are weapons that predate the AK-47 by two generations. They’ve even been taken from military museums.”
Shyriaiev added that Russia’s heavy reliance on aging stockpiles points to serious logistical issues. “This war has been going on for nearly four years. A lot of Russia’s ammunition has already been used up, and they’re running out.”
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg also addressed the issue during a panel at the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv this week. “[Russia is] pulling tanks out of mothballs, out of museums, to put on the battle line,” Kellogg said, adding that Russia appears increasingly unable to conduct large-scale operations due to Ukraine’s resistance.
Russia has reportedly deployed repurposed WWII ship cannons mounted on trailers and attempted to modernize early-generation infantry fighting vehicles from its storage reserves. Intelligence sources also confirm that North Korea has supplied ammunition to Russia amid its ongoing shortages, Shyriaiev said.
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