Russia's tank reserves predicted to last until 2025 amid production challenges
The head of the Ukrainian Centre for Military-Legal Studies, Oleksandr Musienko, estimates how long the Russian Federation will have tanks in storage. The expert believes the situation is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia and predicts that the machines will last until 2025.
It is worth recalling that in mid-September 2024, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) expressed similar sentiments. Referring to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, they estimated that Russia's stocks would run out in 2026. According to ISW, the Russian Federation is expected to manage the production problem.
Fewer tanks in Russian warehouses
Musienko, however, claims that the tanks remaining in warehouses will be sufficient for the aggressor's army only until 2025. “They still have T-55s, but they've almost lost the T-62s,” the expert notes, stating that these are old tanks that are losing significance today as they are very easy targets on the front line.
Musienko believes that Russia has enough tanks to conduct an offensive in 2025, but storage problems will start to arise in the following years. “Regarding storage levels, Russia has enough for 2025, and that's it. In 2026, there will be nothing left to store; there will be no tanks,” he claims. This means that problems in the Russian arsenal will be solved in the next several months, according to the Ukrainian expert.
Until the storage reserves are depleted, the Russian Federation intends to focus primarily on constructing T-90M Proryv tanks. According to Ukrainian experts, the Russians want to produce 149 of these tanks throughout 2024, and these will pose the greatest threat to defenders in the coming months.
The most important tank in the Russian Federation's arsenal
The T-90M Proryv is one of the latest achievements in Russian military technology and a significant element of their arsenal. Although it garners admiration and recognition, it is not without controversy. While this tank has impressive combat capabilities that theoretically make it outstanding on the battlefield, in practice, it does not always live up to expectations, as evidenced by clashes with the M2 Bradley combat vehicle, theoretically a weaker opponent.
The T-90M has a 2A46M-5 125 mm cannon and a modern Kalina fire control system. Its armament is complemented by 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns, which increase its offensive capabilities, allowing it to attack lightly armoured units and infantry. The crew protection system relies on Relikt reactive armour, resisting drone attacks and missiles aimed at the tank. The T-90M can reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h, enabling rapid movement on the battlefield.
