Russian forces turn to unused T‑90S tanks in escalating Ukraine conflict

The T-90 belongs to a modern line of main tanks, manufactured in Russia since the late 80s and early 90s. Several iterations have been made, with the T-90 and 90M Breakthrough, informally known as "Putin's Pride," being the most popular. All are among the most genuinely threatening tanks to the Ukrainian forces.

The T-90S is the export model of the T-90, which was made with countries like India, Turkmenistan, and Algeria in mind. Last year, it was disclosed that an unspecified number of these units were redirected toward Ukraine to back Russian soldiers. Now, even more are being transported.

This could suggest a growing scarcity of armored vehicles among the invading forces. The UK Ministry of Defence has reported that, since the start of the conflict, Putin's military has lost approximately 2600 tanks and is resorting to utilizing older units retrieved from storage. Some pundits propose that support in the form of T-90S tanks is possible, as customers left several of these machines unclaimed due to reported issues.

It could be that the Russians have rectified these issues or determined that, despite everything, these could be valuable support units in Ukraine. The footage that was made public shows alterations influenced by experiences from the ongoing conflict. This primarily includes cages designed to shield the crew from drone attacks, a weapon frequently utilized by both factions in the conflict, as well as additional reactive armor blocks.

As it stands, two T-90S tanks have been destroyed in Ukraine. They pose a considerable threat to the Ukrainians, with impressive firepower delivered by smooth-bore 125 mm caliber guns and high mobility due to 1000 HP engines. They also boast a self-defense system known as the TszU-1 Shtora-1 (only the models destined for India lack this feature).