Russia's reliance on outdated tanks in Ukraine war signals mounting crisis, experts warn
In one of the recent reports, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Putin's army has already lost nearly 2,600 tanks and around 4,900 other armored vehicles. Although it can still dispatch another 100 tanks to the front line each month, these are increasingly often very old models. William Alberque from the International Institute for Strategic Studies suggests, "This smacks of utter desperation."
Russians resort to older tanks as they have no other option
In dialogue with Business Insider, the expert emphasized that adding 100 tanks each month to Putin's army would not be feasible without resorting to older models retrieved from warehouses. Such opinions align with the increasingly frequent incidents in recent weeks of footage confirming transport and even engagement engagements of T-62 or T-55 tanks. One of the latter was eliminated just a few days ago.
The T-55 is a tank with a history that stretches back to 1958. They have inferior armor and lack standard sensors and optics, so they do not provide proper situational awareness and accuracy. They were equipped with a 100 mm (3.93 inches) caliber gun.
In the initial months of the war in Ukraine, the T-55s were not employed by the Russians in offensive missions; instead, they served intermittently for bombardments from entrenched positions. Over time, they started to support troops as armored personnel carriers, which have recently been used for attacks. However, these typically culminate in rapid defeat. The T-55 does not ensure the crew's survival, even when faced with an SPG drone.
Old Russian tanks. What do they comprise?
The T-62 is a next-generation tank manufactured between 1963 and 1978, the main armament of which was a 115 mm (4.52 inches) caliber gun. During operation, it was discovered that its rate of fire fell short of expectations, and the power of its engine was also criticized. Furthermore, its armor performance is severely lacking by today's standards.
Other old Russian tanks include the T-64, manufactured between 1964 and 1987. They were the pioneers in being serially equipped with composite armor globally. They also received a more potent 125 mm (4.92 inches) gun, the current standard on Russian tanks.
Another expert quoted by Business Insider assesses the Russians' ability to replenish their losses as increasingly restrained. Defense analyst Nicholas Drummond suggests that some of the tanks the Russians utilize are akin to "machines of virtually museum quality." In his opinion, the estimated provision of about 100 tanks per month to the Russian army is an overstated figure, progressively decreasing monthly.
