Russia Deploys Pre-WWII Tech on Avdiivka Assault

In a video circulating on social media – what may be a truck introduced in the 1930s — can be seen driving along beaten tracks on the Avdiivka front.

Some users on “X,” the social media site formerly known as Twitter are saying that a viral video shows a GAZ-AA truck.

The GAZ-AA, based on the Ford Model AA, was manufactured in Soviet Russia between 1932 and 1938 under an agreement with Ford Motor Company in the US.

Due to its antiquity, the truck offers next to no protection in modern warfare.

Beneath the videos on X are snickering remarks from internet users about Russia’s use of outdated tech. One user remarked “antique roadshow” in reference to the possible use of a 1930s truck.

Another user speculated that the Russian military “[does] not expect those trucks coming back, including passengers.”

If the X users are correct about the truck, this would not be the first time Russia has been documented using outdated tech on the Avdiivka front — photographic evidence has shown a destroyed Russian armored personnel carrier from the 1950s alongside a damaged T-64BV tank.

Russia may be running out of modern equipment in its invasion against Ukraine, or it may be preserving newer equipment by sacrificing outdated equipment — and those manning them — in its human wave tactics, neglecting the heavy casualties among its ranks.

Other Topics of Interest

ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 2, 2024

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia recently stepped up its assault on Avdiivka in a bid to take over the Ukrainian stronghold.

It was reported that Russia suffered heavy losses — potentially the highest since February this year — over the last few weeks, with Ukrainian troops claiming that they killed “900 troops in one day.”