IIRC The hapless Rooskie army took a few tanks off of their monuments and got them in running condition. Then sent them to the Ukraine fronts.
This was a different thing. In 2014 Russia pretended that it is not their army who invaded Ukraine and it is an uprising by oppressed locals, who took tanks from monuments.
It wasn’t at all convincing of course, but there are plenty of people who want to be fooled.