Massacre in Avdiivka. Russians are still using Stalin-era trucks
A recording has emerged on the internet showing the use of GAZ-63 trucks from the Soviet era in the region of Avdiivka. What are the capabilities of the GAZ-63, and why is such old equipment being used?
Recently, the Russians attacked the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka with significant forces, but despite small territorial gains, they suffered heavy losses in military equipment.
Videos have appeared on the internet showing situations in which near the front lines, Russian soldiers were transporting GAZ-63 trucks, reminiscent of the Stalin era, production of which began in 1948.
What is GAZ-63 and why do Russians reach for it
As a result of the war, the Russians have lost thousands of trucks and are having trouble maintaining a sufficient rate of new vehicle production. For example, a list of Russian losses maintained by the oryxspioenkop group at the time of writing this article indicates 2,943 lost trucks, and that's only losses confirmed by recordings or photos. For this reason, actual Russian losses could be twice as high.
The Russians are trying to replace their lost newer Kamaz and Ural vehicles with older equipment from post-Soviet stockpiles, as reported by journalist Łukasz Michalik from Wirtualna Polska. In addition, due to Ukrainian attacks using precision weapons, such as GMLRS and Storm Shadow missiles, and more recently ATACMS, Russians have to move their fuel and ammunition depots away from the front lines. This in turn, in the context of rail-based logistics and a lack of a sufficient number of trucks, creates huge problems.
For this reason, it's no longer surprising that Russians are practically reaching for everything with wheels, including GAZ-63 trucks. GAZ-63 is a 4x4 truck, adapted for carrying loads up to about 4409 pounds, produced from 1948-1968 in the Gorky Automobile Plant industrial factories.
Interestingly, it is a structure heavily based on the older GAZ-51 model, which was developed during World War II. The drive of this old-fashioned vehicle is provided by a six-cylinder gasoline engine with a capacity of ~0.92 gallons and power of 70 HP. The serial production of GAZ-63 amounted to 474,464 units, and until recently, this model was primarily of interest to collectors. However, it is now regaining its importance on the front line.
