Besides the M240 in the foreground, the dude in the upper left has an FN40GL grenade launcher, made by FN. Originally designed to mount on the SCAR rifles, his is the less common stand alone unit, which is not often seen.
Another (likely Dutch) HK416
Another HK416, with a suppressor and optic. Behind it is another Czech PZD 556 MkII, sporting an ACOG of some sort and a suppressor also, belonging to a Brit member of the International Brigade.
Two ends of the spectrum seen in a Russian dugout. A new anti-drone electronic countermeasures rifle and a scoped Mosin-Nagant.
Not an American M240, but a French FN/MAG, being manned on the edge of a field near Zaporizhzhia.
Here's another French belt-fed you'll only see in pictures. This is an NF1, the 7.62×51 variant of AA-52. The AA-52 was originally designed for and chambered in 7.5x54 back in 1952. Like the U.S. M-60, its design was inspired by the German MG-42, and uses feed and trigger mechanisms derived from that. It uses a lever-delay locking bolt system and a fluted chamber like HK products, producing a rate of fire about 900 rpm, similar to the Beretta MG42/59. France began phasing these out of service after adopting the FN/MAG.
Too fat and out of shape to go running and jumping in and out of trenches doing the Rambo thang? No problem Vanya;...we'll give you a Hummer and a howitzer, and you can go vaporaize Vlad's vatnik villains in the vast valleys of Vuhledar.
https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/1668019604872912896
https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/1650489454153420805
Fort-600 (Brügger & Thomet GL-06 made under license by RPC Fort) 40mm stand-alone grenade launcher.
https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/1649245970759122948
A Russian pilot with a large following on telegram shared these photos of a trip to the range with a PLK & PP-2000. Both are 9x19nato caliber, not 9x18mak. The PLK, adopted by Russia in 2017, is the compact 14-shot version of the 16-shot MPL adopted in 2014, which replaced the MP-443 Grach. These have recently been issued to some Russian aircrews. The PP-2000 is a straight blowback that runs about 600 rpm, just like an Uzi.
According to the source of this photo, this particular FAL was manufactured in/by Argentina. While it is possible it may have been captured by the Brits in the Falklands War back in 1982 and then brought out of storage to dispose of with Ukraine, it is also possible it arrived in Ukraine via Croatia, who purchased a number of FALs from Argentina back during their own war with Serbia in the early 90s. Croatia has only been able to make a small contribution to the Ukrainians, but this could be part of that. About the only way to tell the difference between these Argentine FALs and the ones donated directly from FN in Belgium (besides their markings) is that the Belgians ones were new in the packaging upon their arrival, while the Argentine ones have already served in at least one war, and it shows.
Plenty of old 7.62 AKs and Tokarev pistols in use in Ukraine. Not everybody gets the new NATO toys. But at least guys have access to more modern holsters and optics.
Some of the Czech VZ-58s donated to Ukraine being used in training back in March.
Apparently Russia doesn't issue prophylactics to their troops, so they have to steal dishwashing gloves from the locals and use cut off fingers for muzzle covers. (Which is just as well. I doubt any Ukrainian gals are giving up the pootie.)
So,...did the U.S. government only give Ukraine a bunch of used M240s that had already been through a useful service life? Well,...um,...no, judging from this photo, which shows us the markings on a rather new Ohio Ordnance M240 from their $26mil 5 year contract for the Pentagon to manufacture these. A contract that began in 2019 and isn't complete until next year. Certainly SOME of the M240s sent to Ukraine were used surplus,...but not all of them. How many? Who knows?
