Russia retrieves rare equipment from conservation: does this indicate a shortage?.

Videos periodically appear on social media showing trains with rare military equipment from the Russian Federation, which have either been hardly used in battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine or have not been seen on the front at all. Analysts interpret this as a sign of exhaustion in the Russian army. This was reported by 'Glavkom' citing Defense Express.

One of the videos captures a Russian train with rare equipment - fire control vehicles 1V119 'Reostat' based on BTR-D and self-propelled ATGM 9P148 'Konkurs' based on BRDM-2. It is likely that the Russians have decommissioned these machines as donors for spare parts or transportation for assault groups, but other options for their use are not ruled out.

It is noted that BRDM-2s have not been recorded in combat use, although there were reports of their decommissioning. At the same Time, ATGM 9P148 'Konkurs' were used, in particular, during battles for Vuhledar in 2023.

The 1V119 'Reostat' equipment is rare for the Russian army - as of 2021, it was only recorded in two airborne divisions. According to The Military Balance 2024, Russian airborne troops have enough BTR-Ds to be dismantled for spare parts, however, additional fire control vehicles may be relevant. Analysts also suggest that the decommissioned rare equipment may be used not only in battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine but also for staffing units on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Earlier, we wrote that one day of war in Ukraine costs the Russian Federation almost one billion dollars. This was reported by 'Glavkom' citing a statement by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with 'Ukrinform'.

'This is generally a very expensive war. A day of war costs slightly less than a billion for them - this is huge money,' the head of the GUR noted.

As Budanov stated, according to official data, 41% of the budget of the aggressor country goes to defense.

It is recalled that in 2024, one day of war cost Ukraine 5.7 billion UAH or $142 million. In total, defense expenditures from the state budget amounted to nearly 2.1 trillion UAH or $51.9 billion. Meanwhile, in 2025, 2.2 trillion UAH is planned for defense - more than a quarter of GDP.

As it is known, the Russian Federation does not intend to give up continuing military aggression against Ukraine for a long time, despite the negative effect on the economy. To finance the war, the Kremlin is beginning to prepare the regions for 'tightening their belts'.

Despite a reduction in budgetary expenditures on the Russian regions since the beginning of the year, the Kremlin is only now starting to recognize that citizens must 'sacrifice certain interests' due to the prolonged war with Ukraine.