On September 3, 2014 locals observed a convoy of 25 combat vehicles in the territory of Luhansk oblast. That convoy included one BTR-80, two main T-72B3 battle tanks, and three ‘Strela-10’ SPGs, mounted on MT-LB tracked vehicles.
On September 22, 2014, Russian media portal ANNA NEWS tried to pass off the Russian T-72B3 tanks destroyed near Starobeshevo as Ukrainian equipment in their video report .
On December 2, 2014, an armored convoy of 20 units passed through Luhansk. Six tanks were observed in the convoy, including T-72B3s.
KAMAZ-43269 ‘Vystrel’ and BPM-97 ‘Dozor’
Approximately ten vehicles of this type can be seen in a video of a “regular field training” on December 30, 2014 in Luhansk, posted by LNR/DNR News Front propaganda channel and further disseminated by Vesti TV channel from Russia.
Two KAMAZ-43269 (BPM-97) are visible in a video on the local clashes of insurgents’ that happened on January 10, 2015 in Krasnodon (Luhansk region).
On February 10, 2015 a convoy of Russian vehicles, including three KAMAZ-43269s, was spotted in Luhansk.
GAZ-3937 ‘Vodnik’ high-mobility multipurpose armored vehicle
On January 10, 2015, Russian Army disarmed the separate rapid response brigade ‘Odesa’ of the so-called Ministry of State Security of LPR. A large number of armored vehicles were used in this operation, among them, a ‘Vodnik’ from the 2nd Separate Special Forces Brigade of GRU in Pskov.
MLRS 9K58 ‘Smerch’
According to the InformNapalm news summary dated October 31, 2014, Smerches were spotted in Donetsk.
On January 22, 2014, a Russian Smerch was seen in Makeevka on General Danilov street. It was moving unescorted towards Zelenyi district.
On February 10, 2015, Kramatorsk was shelled by a Russian ‘Tornado-S’ (an upgraded version of Smerch). The possible launching points are Horlivka and Hartsyzk that remain under the control of the Russian terrorists.
Buk-M anti-aircraft missile system
A video investigation published on YouTube provides abundant evidence of the Russian involvement in the terrorist act against the international community — i.e. the destruction of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 in the skies of occupied Donbas on July 17, 2014, in the eastern part of Donetsk region near the village of Hrabove not far from the town of Torez.
The investigation determined the serial numbers of all Buk missile systems involved, as well as their sources and routes of their delivery to Ukraine. The investigation determined the exact location of the launcher of a missile that hit the Boeing, as well as its rapid escape and the attempts to hinder the evidence once it had become clear that a civilian airliner was hit instead of Ukrainian transport plane.
9K332 ‘Tor-M2’ surface-to-air missile system
On January 20, 2015, this vehicle type was reported in Shahtarsk. Tor is very effective in engaging multiple assault aircraft while withstanding fire and jamming.
2S7 ‘Pion’ / 2S7M ‘Malka’ self-propelled guns
These SPGs have been repeatedly spotted in the occupied territories. They are not listed among the captured equipment and can be a direct evidence of the Russian military involvement. In particular, one of these guns was recently noticed in the city of Makiivka.
2B26 MLRS ‘Grad’ mounted on KAMAZ-5350
2B26 Grads mounted on KAMAZ-5350 has been only adopted by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. On January 23, 2015, this type was observed in Donetsk, Ukraine.
TOS-1 ‘Buratino’ multiple launcher & heavy flamethrower system
This is an exclusively Russian flamethrower system, which, according to official Ukrainian sources, was used on January 13, 2015 during the shelling of the suburbs of Vesele village. These flamethrower systems were also noticed on January 14, 2015 near Donetsk Airport.
‘Leopard’ and ‘Lynx-1’ counter-battery radars
At the end of 2014 data this equipment was detected in Donbas in the conflict areas. They were not captured from the Ukrainian Army, but were transferred across the border from the Russian Federation.
Original article translated by Private and edited by Max Alginin. This list is not comprehensive and can be expanded, but it clearly shows the many examples of Russian military presence in Donbas.