Russian tank losses in Ukraine hit £7 billion in 2024
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence reported that since the beginning of 2024, the army of defenders has destroyed over 3,000 Russian tanks. It is estimated that this equipment may have been worth around £7 billion. Which tanks are the Russians losing most frequently, and how are they attempting to fill the gaps in their units' equipment?
As emphasised in the official communiqué of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, 12 May was particularly successful for the Ukrainians. On this day, the Russians lost as many as 31 tanks, which is the size of an entire battalion. For this reason, Ukrainians now refer to this date as the day of the Russian tanker.
Over 3,000 Russian tanks destroyed in 2024
"Since the beginning of 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have disabled 3,179 Russian tanks. Taking into account that a tank battalion normally has 31 tanks, Ukrainian defenders have actually destroyed 102 Russian tank battalions in ten months," the Ukrainians wrote.
The losses related to the T-90 family of tanks are particularly painful for the Russians. These are the best machines of this type that they decided to send to the war in Ukraine. The latest of them, the T-90M, is equipped with a 2A46M-5 calibre 125 mm gun with an improved fire control system. Its construction features modular reactive armour Relikt, and according to Vladimir Putin, they are the best tanks in the world. Data from the Oryx group indicates that Ukrainians have so far eliminated 115 of such tanks.
Other valuable Russian tanks include the T-80BWM and T-72B3. The former stands out mainly for its strong armour, and both, like the T-90M tanks, also possess advanced optoelectronics. Some of the most frequently destroyed Russian tanks by Ukrainians are the T-72B.
Destroyed tanks worth £7 billion
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence claims that the Russian tanks destroyed this year had a value of about £7 billion. For comparison, they state that this is equivalent to the 16 annual budgets of the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. This suggests that Russia's leaders prefer to allocate enormous sums to the war in Ukraine instead of solving numerous internal social issues.
The growing problems of the Russians with tanks can be seen through the emptying warehouses of old Soviet-era equipment. At the same time, more and more tanks like the T-64 or T-62, originating from the 1960s and even older T-55/54 tanks, are appearing on the Ukrainian front. Although initially, the Russian military industry showed great resilience to Western sanctions, in recent months, it has clearly been struggling.
