Tag: Russia

Soviet or Russian PTAB-1M submunitions documented in Ukraine (2022)

N.R. Jenzen-Jones & Charlie Randall Editor’s Note: This article is based primarily on a 2016 ARES article documenting the use of the PTAB-1M submunition in Syria. A video posted on Facebook by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), Odessa Region, shows PTAB-1M (ПТАБ-1М; ‘Protivo Tankovaya Avia Bomba’, or ‘anti-tank aviation bomb’) submunitions have been

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Russian 9M54-series cargo missile documented in Ukraine (2022)

N.R. Jenzen-Jones & Charlie Randall Images shared via Ukrainian social media accounts on 4 March 2022 show the remnants of a cluster munition, reportedly documented in Pokrovsk—located in Donbas Oblast, eastern Ukraine—following a Russian strike. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to face stiff resistance, increased use of cluster munitions is being documented by

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Russian 3B30 submunitions documented in Ukraine (2022)

N.R. Jenzen-Jones & Patrick Senft Pictures shared to social media show a Russian 3Б30 (3B30) submunition in Ukraine, apparently photographed during the recent Russian invasion (see Figure 1). 3B30 submunitions were reportedly used to strike the village of Chornomorske, in the Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine (not to be confused with the village of Chornomorske

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Improvised Optical Equipment in the Donbass

Boris Karpa Amongst the many types of equipment in service with pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine – whether received from Russia or captured from Ukrainian stocks – communications equipment and optics have been in short supply.  These items, notable mostly in their shortage, have been important to the war effort, and lamented for their absence.

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Soviet 2B9M Vasilek self-loading mortar

Ernő Lovass & N.R. Jenzen-Jones The 2B9M Vasilek (‘Cornflower’) is a muzzle or breech-loading, long recoil-operated automatic smoothbore medium mortar. It is a modernised, air-cooled version of the 2B9 water-cooled mortar, itself derived from the earlier F-82 automatic mortar. Development of the 2B9 began in the late 1960s, with the Soviet army adopting the weapon in 1970. The modernised 2B29M

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AK-103 self-loading rifle recovered from bandits in NW Nigeria

Miles Vining Elements of the Nigerian 223rd Infantry Battalion, 1st Nigerian Army Division based out of Kaduna recently responded to an attack by criminal elements in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara Sate (northwestern Nigeria). The incident was characterised as an attack targeting members of the Nigerian Federal Road Safety Corps, one of whom was killed before the

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Russian AN-94 self-loading rifle – Part 2

For those seeking more detail on the complex interrelationship of the AN-94 self-loading rifle’s dual operating systems and unusual trigger mechanism, ARES Technical Specialist Jonathan Ferguson has developed a brief interpretation to clarify the key operating mechanics.  Further and complementary detail may be found in the previous ARES post and in the original patent description and

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Russian AN-94 self-loading rifle

This post accompanies the third in a series of collaborative videos produced by ARES Researcher Ian McCollum, who also runs the Forgotten Weapons blog and YouTube channel. Using access to unique collections facilitated by ARES, this series of videos will examine a range of interesting weapons over the coming months. Each video will be accompanied

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Craft-produced suppressed weapons in Donbass

ImproGuns Images shared via social media purport to show new “silent weapons for special forces of the [Donetsk People’s] Republic”. Information accompanying the images claims they are manufactured locally by DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) separatist forces in Donbass. One of the weapons, dubbed ‘Deaf-mute Aunt Tanya from Donbas’, appears to be a modified Russian TT-33 type self-loading pistol which has

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Soviet 180 mm S-23 artillery guns in Syria

Ilya A. On 5 August 2016, anti-government forces from the Free Syrian Army and the Islamist coalition Jaish al-Fateh stormed and captured a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery school facility during operations aimed at breaking the Syrian regime siege of Eastern Aleppo. The following day, rebel group Ahrar al-Sham posted photos of materiel in the

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