Russian tank production can't offset losses in Ukraine war
The Russian tank manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, has unveiled its annual production figures. While the numbers may appear impressive, they also highlight the significant and irreplaceable losses that Russia is encountering during the war in Ukraine with its current production levels.
The sole new tank manufacturer in Russia, the Uralvagonzavod plant in Nizhny Tagil, produced approximately 200 T-72B and T-72B1 tanks upgraded to the T-72B3 standard and 60–80 T-90M tanks in 2024, as reported by Damian Ratka from Defence 24.
Fewer than 300 new tanks make up just a portion of the deliveries—in addition to manufacturing new ones, the Russians are continuing to restore equipment from long-term storage, some of which has been stored since Soviet times. What once seemed like an almost inexhaustible source of equipment years ago is beginning to diminish, as evidenced by the statistics of losses incurred in Ukraine.
Old tanks in the Russian army
As noted by Defence 24, Russia is attempting to rectify the situation by resuming the production of T-80 family tanks. Although there has been some success in launching the production of gas turbines to power this equipment, new tanks of this type are still not being produced.
The share of old T-62 tanks is increasing—and continues to grow month by month—indicating the reserves Russia is relying on. This should not be surprising, considering that in 2024, Russia lost approximately 3,700 tanks. This statistic is corroborated by photographic documentation, and the number of destroyed machines could be even higher.
Meanwhile, it is worth comparing Russian production with European tank production, where only about 50 brand-new Leopard 2 tanks are produced annually, with about 60–70 being modernised.
T-62 tanks in the war in Ukraine
The T-62 is a tank produced from 1962 to 1975 (in the USSR, licensed production in North Korea lasted longer). When it entered service, it surpassed Western-made tanks of the time, such as the Leopard 1 and AMX-30, in terms of firepower.
It was the first Soviet tank to be armed with a 115 mm smoothbore gun, though it lacked the autoloader typical of later tanks like the T-64 or T-72. Officially, the T-62 was withdrawn from the Russian army in 2013, yet by December 2024, it constituted nearly one-quarter of Russian tanks destroyed in Ukraine.
