Analysis of open-source intelligence data shows that more than 2,000 Russian tanks may have been destroyed or confiscated during the conflict with Ukraine.
According to an aggregate report by Oryx, an intelligence analysis site based on public sources in the Netherlands, after more than 15 months of fighting, 1,238 Russian tanks were destroyed and 106 damaged. One hundred thirteen were abandoned, and Ukrainian forces confiscated 544.
Jakub Janovsky, the Oryx member who made the report, suggested that the actual Russian tank losses could be about 20% higher because they only recorded figures based on evidence that photos or videos have shown.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claims Russia lost more than 3,800 tanks in the conflict. In April, the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that the number could range from 1,800 to 3,500. This statistic can include destroyed, abandoned, captured by the enemy, or damaged tanks, but it can be reactivated after repair.
According to Oryx, most of Russia’s tank damage was mainly due to the unsuccessful offensive to control Kyiv at the beginning of the conflict, when Russian convoys were jammed and were repeatedly ambushed by Ukraine.
Russia suffered additional tank losses during its assault on Ugledar, Donetsk Oblast, after a quick Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv province.
Western experts said that when launching hostilities, Russia sent about 3,000 in service into Ukraine, mainly tanks modern models. After many losses, Russia had many older models of tanks from storage and continuously suffering deployed to Ukraine.
“The proportion of old tanks in the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine can change rapidly depending on the ability to remove equipment from storage and return them to combat status,” said Janovsky. “Russia can reactivate 50-100 old tanks and produce about 10-20 new tanks per month.”
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the Oryx report. The agency has not yet announced the number of tanks damaged in the fighting with Ukraine.
In a recent report, the British Royal Research Institute for Defense and Security (RUSI) said that Russian forces had found a way to effectively use the number of old tanks in stock, helping them continue to promote their advantages in combat. Fighting in Ukraine.
Older models of tanks, such as T-55 and T-62, did not participate in the spearhead attack and directly attacked the Ukrainian defenses. Instead, Russian forces used this type of tank as a mobile artillery platform, as a backup force for artillery, providing ranged fire support for infantry units and participating in lightning raids. Flash on the weak point of the Ukrainian line.
The RUSI report shows that Russia is learning from and adjusting its tactics and fighting style and promoting its strengths in other fields, such as electronic warfare or engineering.
The fighting method of the old tanks also proves that the Russian armored forces have made many improvements to adapt to the reality of the Ukrainian battlefield.
