Ukrainian forces capture Russia's advanced T‑90M tank: Game-changer

Soldiers of the 225th Independent Assault Battalion have captured the most advanced Russian tank still in serial production. After several months of attempts, the T-90M Proryv fell into Ukrainian hands and has already been handed over to the Ukrainian intelligence research department. Let's recall this machine's capabilities.

In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both armies regularly lose more machines. Some are destroyed and cannot be quickly replaced, while others are captured by enemy forces and serve as trophies. This was the case recently with the Russian T-72B3, one of the best Russian tanks, which was added to the list of Ukrainian trophies intact.

This list already included many other machines, including BTR-82 transporters, several of which were captured during a single defence army action. Now, through a Telegram channel, Ukrainians are reporting the capture of another machine—and not just any machine, but a tank that Putin called "the best in the world."

The T-90M captured by soldiers from the 225th Independent Assault Battalion had been evacuated over the past four months – reads the Telegram report. The Russians left this damaged weapon on the front (at an unspecified location in Ukraine), from where it was difficult to transport the vehicle beyond the area exposed to shelling safely.

Finally, the Ukrainians managed to evacuate the trophy and – as reported on the Ukrainian portal Militarny – handed it over to the appropriate units. The vehicle has already reached experts in Ukrainian intelligence, where it will likely be dismantled to understand better the technologies used in it. This will allow Ukrainians to learn how to better defend against Russia's best tank and how to destroy such equipment on the front during further battles.

Although during last year's Ukrainian studies on the T-90M, the defence army concluded that "the Proryv is a failure instead of a breakthrough", the latest Russian construction still poses a threat to many Western tanks operating on the front. This is primarily due to the 125 mm 2A46M-5 cannon with the Kalina fire control system. Additionally, the defensive capabilities of this equipment include 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns.

The Relikt reactive armour, which the manufacturer applied to the most critical points on the hull and turret, ensures the safety of the crew working inside the T-90 M. The power unit, which generates a maximum power of around 1,000 hp and allows the tank to reach speeds of nearly 70 km/h (45 mph), provides mobility.