Russian tank shortages expose severe logistical issues in the Ukraine war

One of the analysts examining the war in Ukraine has scrutinized the stockpile of resources available to the Russians. Based on satellite images, he concluded that Putin's army is encountering increasing difficulties with armoured vehicles, including tanks.

The results of the analysis were published on the Covert Cabal channel on YouTube. Comparing Russian stockpiles before the war's outbreak to the current situation, it was found that nearly half of all armoured vehicles accumulated since the 1950s have vanished from the warehouses.

In 2021, the number of equipment was estimated at over 22,000 various types of armoured vehicles, while currently, it is about 12,000 transporters, infantry fighting vehicles, and tanks. At the same time, it was noted that part of this number is comprised of equipment in very poor condition that is no longer fit for modernisation. The biggest shortages concern tanks, particularly the T-72, T-80, and the latest T-90 models, while the older ones are mainly T-64 and T-55 models in poor technical condition.

Russians are increasingly relying on assistance from North Korea. This enables them to obtain additional spare parts, allowing the return to service primarily of T-62M, T-55, and T-54 tanks.

These are tanks from the 1960s and 1950s. The T-62M used 115-mm calibre guns, and the T-55 and T-54 used 100-mm calibre guns, which, due to the lack of modern optical instruments, do not pose a significant threat and make night operations impossible. Despite this, the Russians recognize that even an old tank is better than none, so they decide to refurbish it.

The situation is not much better for infantry fighting vehicles and armoured transporters. Stocks of these constructions have also significantly dwindled, and the remaining units in the warehouses are mostly "military junk".

Russia has probably already surpassed the peak of its capabilities related to modernising stored infantry fighting vehicles and armoured transporters. Most of the remaining infantry fighting vehicles are rusty and hollow shells that have been standing there for years. They are starting to pull older armoured vehicles from the warehouses, which they did not want to use before. Still, they have no other options, explained an OSINT analyst using the pseudonym Jompy for the Unian agency in a comment for Radio Svoboda.

In February this year, Ukrainians boasted about the destruction of nearly 13,000 armoured vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles belonging to the Russians. These mainly were BMP-1/2 infantry fighting vehicles.

Since the beginning of this year, the Kurganmashzavod plants have delivered several batches of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and BMD-4M airborne fighting vehicles to the Russian army. Still, they probably did not include many units of these vehicles. As a result, even with the refurbishment of older designs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to replenish the ongoing losses caused by Ukrainian actions.