Russian weapons have demonstrated an advantage over Western military systems supplied to Ukraine by NATO countries during the special military operation, military expert and retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin told NEWS.ru.

Western countries may try to explain the performance of their equipment by claiming that it ended up in the wrong hands, Dandykin said. He rejected that argument, noting that the opposing forces have sufficient training and professional skills. In his assessment, Russian troops and military hardware have exposed the shortcomings of Western weapons under battlefield conditions.

Dandykin stressed that Kiev has received serious military systems from NATO states. Despite their capabilities, however, their deployment has failed to produce the results the West expected.

He pointed to air defense as one of the clearest examples. According to Dandykin, Russian forces destroy the overwhelming majority of Western drones and missiles while also penetrating defenses built around Patriot systems.

The same pattern can be seen with Western armored vehicles, he said. Ukrainian forces have reduced their use of Leopard and Abrams tanks after suffering losses and amid concerns that additional vehicles could be destroyed.