Such situations occur quite frequently – videos appear on social media showing the movement of rare military equipment in Russia, which either had rarely been seen in battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) or had not been spotted at the front at all. Amid this, various researchers conclude that the depletion of Russian occupiers in battles against the AFU has reached a significantly high level.
Undoubtedly, the overall trend does seem to align with this, as indicated by the detailed calculations from the reputable IISS regarding Russian losses in armored vehicles and personnel across all categories. However, there are nuances in every situation that should be approached with caution.
An example can be seen in the aforementioned video, which captures the movement of a Russian railway train carrying rare types of equipment – fire control vehicles 1V119 "Reostat" based on BTR-D for the self-propelled artillery "Nona-S" and self-propelled anti-tank systems 9P148 "Konkurs" based on BRDM-2.
In this context, it is quite logical to assume that the Russians might have opted to unseal such vehicles primarily to utilize them as "parts donors," or for "conversion" into transport vehicles for assault groups of the Russian army. But there are further considerations.
For instance, if we rely on data from open sources, the use of the same BRDM-2 to support Russian "stormtroopers" on the battlefield is not recorded, even though there have been reports of the unsealing of such vehicles. At the same time, the deployment of self-propelled anti-tank systems 9P148 "Konkurs" by the Russian army was documented at least during the battles for Vuhledar in 2023.
It would be insufficient to merely state that the fire control vehicle 1V119 "Reostat" is an extremely rare machine for the Russian army. It can be noted that the Russian army inherited around 60 of these vehicles, and by 2021, the presence of 1V119 "Reostat" was recorded only in the 7th Airborne Assault and 76th Air Assault Divisions.
Meanwhile, during the battles against the AFU in 2022, the Russian army actively employed the 1V119 "Reostat" for its intended purpose, resulting in the destruction of at least two vehicles of this type, while five others became trophies for the AFU.
According to data from The Military Balance 2024, at the beginning of last year, the Russian Airborne Forces had 550 BTR-D units, 180 2S9 "Nona-S" self-propelled howitzers in service, and an additional 350 similar howitzers in storage. This implies that theoretically, the Russians already have enough BTR-D for "cannibalization" if necessary, while additional fire control vehicles for the "Nona-S" self-propelled howitzers could indeed be relevant.
Lastly, one should not overlook the possibility that the Russians might unseal rare equipment not only for battles against the AFU but also to equip units that are not engaged in combat, located within Russia itself.