Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine

by Jonathan Ferguson, N.R. Jenzen-Jones

This report represents the culmination of months of research, identifying and examining over 100 different weapons systems, more than 60 different munitions, and more than 70 different armoured vehicles documented in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The report details a number of so-called ‘flag weapons’ which have likely been supplied by foreign states, including materiel produced after the fall of the Soviet Union, and up to present day. It also examines the use of cluster munitions, incendiary weapons, white phosphorus, land mines, and tactical ballistic missiles. The contents of the report represent only an initial assessment of materiel documented in Ukraine. This assessment relies primarily on publicly released material made available through mainstream media sources and social media platforms. This is supplemented by material collected directed by journalists, NGO workers, and local sources on the ground.

147 pages, ebook

Published November 1, 2014

About the author

Jonathan Ferguson is Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries in Leeds as of 2017.

Having completed a first degree in Archaeology (BA, Exeter 1997-2000), Jonathan began his museum career as a volunteer at Coldharbour Mill Museum in Devon and received his postgraduate diploma in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester in 2002. Before joining the Armouries in 2009, he held posts at Colchester Museum, Imperial War Museum Duxford and the National War Museum of Scotland. His research interests include the use and effect of firearms (both historic and contemporary), their popular perception, mythology, and their depiction in mass media. He is a member of the editorial advisory board for Arms and Armour and British Journal of Military History.

Jonathan curated the 2008 exhibition ‘Call to Arms’ at the National Museum of Scotland and was lead curator on the Royal Armouries’ First World War exhibition ‘Bullets, Blades and Battle Bowlers’ in 2014. He has presented at several conferences, including ‘Firearms and the Common Law Tradition’, co-chaired by Wesleyan University and the Smithsonian Institution (2016). Jonathan has also made various media appearances, including the BBC4 documentary series ‘Sword, Musket & Machine Gun’ (2017) and the History Channel’s ‘Sean Bean’s Waterloo’ (2015).