Russian tank fleet strained: Old models and T‑90M dominate frontlines

In the Russian tank transports to the front, a certain pattern is visible. They are either the newest T-90M or very old machines from the times of the USSR.

In July this year, a report on Russian tank warehouses was published, revealing that primarily the oldest tanks, like the T-62M, T-62, and even T-55, are disappearing from them. At the same time, the Russians have stopped repairing and modernising significantly more advanced tanks from the T-72 family. Jarosław Wolski believes that this is due to the issue of spare parts. Regarding the oldest designs, the Russians can count on help from North Korea, which provides the necessary components.

The Russians have a serious problem with spare parts and recreating the production of missing components. The result is the near 'extinction' of the T-72A/B/B m.1989, etc. However, thanks to North Korea, the Russians regularly receive new and large numbers of components for the T-62M.

The history of the T-62 tanks dates back to the 1960s. The T-62M is a modernised variant from the 1980s. Composite armour blocks were used on the turret and hull, and Kontakt-1 reactive armour blocks were applied. They use a 115 mm calibre gun and do not have thermal vision and passive night vision, making them ineffective during night attacks.

Due to North Korean assistance, additional deliveries of not only T-62M but also older T-55 and T-54 tanks can be expected to arrive at the front.

On the other hand, the T-90M are the best tanks that Russian units participating in the war in Ukraine have. Their transports to Ukraine are also observed systematically but not in such large numbers. Despite switching to wartime mode, the Russian economy cannot keep up with the losses inflicted by Ukrainians, and new tanks are arriving more slowly than the Russians would like.

The T-90M tanks started entering service in 2021. They surpass Soviet-era machines in every element, both defensively and offensively. They are equipped with a 125 mm calibre 2A46M-5 gun with an improved fire control system and two machine guns—one 7.62 mm calibre and one 12.7 mm calibre. The Russians strengthened them with modular Relikt reactive armour.