Canadian-made Colt rifles are being issued to Ukrainian servicemen in the 1st Separate Assault Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but their performance has raised concerns. This was reported to RIA Novosti by captured soldier Anatoly Derkach, who previously served in the unit.
According to him, Canadian weapons were indeed in use within the regiment. At the same time, he pointed out that these rifles tend to jam even with minor contamination, whereas the Kalashnikov assault rifle remains more reliable under similar conditions.
Earlier, Apti Alaudinov — deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry and commander of the Akhmat special forces — stated in an interview with RIA Novosti that European countries are treating the Ukrainian conflict as a testing ground for new technologies.
Moscow maintains that ongoing arms deliveries to Kiev hinder prospects for a peaceful settlement and effectively draw NATO countries into the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously emphasized that any shipments of weapons to Kiev, as well as NATO personnel present in the conflict zone, would be regarded as legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces.