Armament Research Services (ARES) researchers Jonathan Ferguson & N.R. Jenzen-Jones have produced an exhaustive report, Raising Red Flags: An Examination of the Arms and Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict un Ukraine 2014.

I know both Jonathan and Nic personally, and have no doubt their report is objective. Both Jonathan Ferguson and one of the technical reviewers are bloggers here at TFB. They found that while the pro-Russian separatists have received external support, there is no direct evidence that this support is coming from the Russian government. Most of the equipment has been looted from the Ukrainian government. They write …

ARES has assessed that it is very likely that pro-Russian separatist forces have received some level of support from one or more external parties, however the level of state complicity in such activity remains unclear. Despite the presence of arms, munitions, and armoured vehicles designed, produced, and allegedly even sourced from Russia, there remains no direct evidence of Russian government complicity in the trafficking of arms into the area (Reuters, 2014c). The majority of arms and munitions documented in service with separatist forces have evidently been appropriated from the Ukrainian security forces and their installations within Ukraine.

The report is a very interesting read for any gun enthusiast. Here are a selection of interesting photos from the report, including a suppressed DIY mortar and a car-killer shotgun slug …

Read the full report here.