Russian Forces Turn to Junked Vehicles for Spare Parts After Frontline Losses

Russian forces are actively using scrapped vehicles to compensate for their military equipment losses, the ATESH resistance movement reported on October

“Thanks to the work of ATESH agents on the ground and ‘Cyber ATESH’ specialists, it was confirmed that Russian occupiers are actively taking scrapped military vehicles and dual-purpose vehicles from the storage depot for written-off equipment of a military unit in the Gagarinsky district of Sevastopol,” the statement read.

Analyzing satellite images, “Cyber ATESH” specialists confirmed that since the beginning of April 2025, dozens of scrapped military trucks of various types, including ZIL-131-based fire trucks, have been towed from the parking area.

These vehicles are being transported to car repair bases, where they are used as “donors” to repair equipment damaged on the battlefield. ATESH considers this direct evidence of serious problems with spare parts for the Russian Armed Forces' vehicles on the southern front.

At the same time, the financial strain of the war in Ukraine is pushing Moscow toward major fiscal changes, with plans for tax hikes and spending cuts being prepared to manage soaring defense costs.

Russia's economy is struggling under the weight of more than three years of conflict. The economy is cooling, facing recession risks, and grappling with a widening budget deficit of $61 billion.

Despite recent easing of interest rates, financing the ongoing military campaign remains a significant challenge.

Earlier, it was reported that the Russian military-industrial complex, which had sustained the nation's economy despite war and sanctions, is now grinding to a halt.

After almost three years of double-digit growth, new data from Rosstat indicates that industries supporting the defense sector are entering a period of stagnation and even contraction.

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