Russian Soldiers Issued WWII-Era Metal Helmets, Obsolete Weapons: Ukraine

Russia is reportedly supplying troops with metal helmets from World War II in order to protect themselves, according to Ukraine's military.

In an operational update on Wednesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, "Russian units undergoing training in the area of ​​the city of Baranovichi, Brest region, were issued obsolete weapons and property - metal helmets of the Second World War model and means of protection from the period of the 60-70 years of the last century.

"In addition, a large part of small arms, namely AK-74 assault rifles, are in non-working condition due to poor storage conditions."

The update comes amid the ongoing war between the two nations that began on February 24 as Ukraine continues to execute counteroffensives in an attempt to retake areas under Russian control.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of troops in an effort to push back Ukrainian forces. Wednesday's update mentioned mobilized troops.

"The moral and psychological condition of mobilized russian citizens undergoing training in the Kursk and Bryansk regions is significantly deteriorating due to the difference between the picture of russian propaganda and the actual situation, inhumane conditions of stay and lack of promised payments," the update said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made similar comments in an operational update last month, when it mentioned Putin's "young replenishments" and said that they were easily spotted since they were armed with "protective equipment, Soviet-style helmets and AK-12 [assault rifles], which have a very negative [user] experience."

Seth Jones, the director of the International Security Program and the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek last month that Putin's mobilization of troops sent "poorly trained, poorly equipped forces that are having significant difficulties conducting combined arms operations," into battle.

"Increase in quantity, decrease in quality and that is not helpful to either trying to preserve the gains that they have now...We're seeing that repeatedly in tactical levels of the fight right now, which is just poorly trained, poorly equipped Russian forces, and this mobilization is not solving these problems," Jones said.

The most recent update from the Ukrainian armed forces also accuses Russian troops of "taking away looted property and stolen cars from the city of Severodonetsk, Luhansk oblast.

"Looting takes place under cover and accompanied by representatives of the occupation's so-called state security agencies."

On Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was open to negotiations with Ukraine but noted that the two nations must take new "realities" into account.

Yuri Zhukov, an associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan, told Newsweek that the new realities include Russia's annexation of several territories in Ukraine and the partial mobilization of troops.

"The main source of bargaining leverage Russia has is the territory it occupies," Zhukov said. "Mobilization creates a different kind of bargaining problem. This is a future source of leverage, in the sense that mobilization can help Russia more effectively defend these territories and allows them to rebuild units ahead of a potential new offensive in the spring. Eventually, this will enable Russia to say 'if Ukraine doesn't do A, B or C, we will try to take Kyiv again.'"

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.

Update 11/10/22, 9:18 a.m. ET. This story was updated with comment from Yuri Zhukov.