DURING THE second world war Germanys armed forces destroyed Soviet tanks at a phenomenal rate. Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces, by the side of a road in the Luhansk region on February 26, 2022. Videos of Ukrainian farmers towing abandoned Russian vehicles have become symbols of Ukraines resistance. So, Russian losses shouldn't come as much of a surprise. However, this includes thousands of older-model T-72s, some of which are around 50 years old. What's he waiting for? Turkish drones, like theTB2, have been to excellent use by Ukrainian forces. What's more, those tanks are seen as having superior technology to the ones Russia is fielding. Ukraine claims to have destroyed more than 3,250. The T-72 B3 is regarded as the workhorse of the Russian military vehicles, and as a result, Ukraine has destroyed more of that model than any other on the battlefield, according to the . Actual tanks only make up a fraction of the numbers and the combat power. Russia attacked on Feb. 23. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi Despite its on-paper advantages and promotion in Russian media as. How many Russian tanks have been destroyed? How effective have anti-tank weapons been? The real figure is likely to be above the 604 of Oryx and below the optimistic Ukrainian claim, so the U.S. 8-10% estimate may be accurate. While journalists sometimes use tank to describe any military vehicle, it is only properly applied to tracked vehicles whose main function is fighting other tanks. Some claim they may be soon consigned to history along with the chariot, mounted cavalry, and the battleship. However, he suggested the idea that Russian personnel in the battalion has been cut to 30 "is probably a red herring." This includes 967 destroyed tanks, 75 damaged, 59 abandoned and 545 captured. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The T-80 tank is operated by a three-man crew, he explained, "so if they are down to 10 serviceable tanks and therefore 10 crews, that is right.". Some have been driven off bridges. Spoonts said that even with a lack of tanks, Russia could still mount a large offensive that "will rely on infantry marching on foot and any advances they make will be slow.". The Ukrainian posts did not make clear when the alleged incidents took place, but they came amid reports of Russian forces trying to make progress around Marinka, as part of a wider objective to control the region. "That makes the Russian army like a boxer who has a great right hook and a glass jaw.". The actual total almost certainly is much higher. A destroyed Russian tank sits by the side of the road on December 15, 2022, in Kupiansk, Ukraine. It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain ERA, leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely. ', Greek transport minister resigns over train crash; 36 dead, U.S. State Dept okays potential Javelin anti-tank missile sales to UK -Pentagon, Multiple Russian Armored Vehicles Destroyed in Single Battle, Ukrainian Brigade Says, Ukrainian soldiers say they caught a Russian medic forced to operate a tank, highlighting the dysfunction in Putin's army, Canadian forces train Ukrainians to operate Leopard tanks. The same approach may eventually drive Russia to use chemical weapons. The war has seen numerous failures by Russian commanders to enforce low-level battle discipline such as the use of ERA. So how are they doing? "On paper, Russia still has a lot of tanks, but many were not properly stored and might be hard to reactivate quickly," he said. Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk [+] region on February 26, 2022. The count stood at 204 tanks and 406 other armored vehicles for a total of 610 lost as of Monday. Sean Spoonts, a U.S. Navy veteran and editor-in-chief of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), told Newsweek that he feels the numbers from ISS seem "pretty accurate. There are far fewer showing those same tanks back in action in Ukrainian colors. A Russian tank battalion typically consists of approximately 40 main battle tanks, according to current affairs magazine The Diplomat. The T-72, by contrast is a simpler, cheaper tankone suitable to mass-production and easy support in the field. That's a logistical failure. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published on its Facebook page Ukrainian estimates of the total losses Russia has faced since the invasion began on February 24. Dutch warfare research group Oryx, which has been documenting losses throughout the war, records that Russia has lost at least 1,646 of these tanks to date. The T-80 actually is an evolution of the T-64, itself one of the most sophisticated tanks Soviet industry ever produced. There are plenty of other armored fighting vehicles, ranging from reconnaissance vehicles to self-propelled guns and infantry carriers. It is questionable just how effective they would be on the modern battlefield, purely apart from maintenance issues and the question of how many are still able to run. Not only that, but large units like tanks appear to be left exposed without infantry support or air supporta critical weakness for these powerful weapons of war. be seen being towed away by Ukrainian farm tractors, painstakingly documents every confirmed photograph of a Russian loss, U.S. Special Operations official monitoring the conflict. This is likely due to a shortage of spare parts and trained technicians. Russia has also said Ukraine is using reserve "ceremonial" tanks because of the losses its armed forces have incurred. But it also speaks to the advantages any defender possesses over any attacker. One of the battalions making up an "elite" Russian tank regiment waging war in Ukraine has just 10 tanks left, operated by 30 soldiers, according to Ukraine's armed forces. Despite . The three tanks being sent are among the worlds strongest and most capable. One of the main problems is the distinction between what a "real" tank and other "tank-like" military vehicles are. Britain has given the Ukrainians more than 4,200 shoulder-fired weapons called NLAWs, which have destroyed Russian tanks and armored vehicles. The report of the weakened Russian tank unit comes as Ukraine appears close to securing the main battle tanks from Western allies that it has long wanted for its own forces. Back in 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu claimed that his tank units had a serviceability rate of 94%, indicating that proportion would be ready to fight on any given day. The Challenger 2 is used by four armoured regiments, based in the South West of England at Tidworth, Wiltshire, and Bovington, Dorset. The Ukraine defense ministry gloated Wednesday that some of the destroyed tanks "bathed in the Siverskiy Donets River, and some were burned by the May sun.". - Russia on February 26 ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine "from all directions" as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv imposed a blanket curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths. Ukraine and its allies also lack the ability to produce tanks quickly. Even assuming they could all be brought into action, Moscow has still lost about 30% of its pre-war tank force, Janovsky said. "Javelin and NLAW are very potent," says Nick Reynolds, research analyst in land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). The UK Ministry of Defence said in an update back in August: The heavy attrition of Russian main battle tanks in Ukraine is highly likely partially due to Russias failure to fit and properly employ adequate explosive reactive armour (ERA). Ukrainian officials had repeatedly pleaded with their Western allies to provide modern battle tanks that could be used not only to defend their present positions but to take the fight to the enemy. Some estimates put the Russian grand total as high as 12,420 tanks and 36,000 other armored vehicles. Javelins can be fired so that the missile explodes on the top of a tank, where the armour is weakest, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. While the definition of a tank has changed over time, today, the term generally refers to what is more accurately referred to as main battle tanks. the relatively exposed turret top of tanks. It said that as of 1 September, it had taken out 1,997 Russian tanks almost two thirds of its entire operational fleet. In Ukraine modern Russian tanks, such as T-90s, now fight alongside large numbers of T-72B3s, built decades ago but upgraded with guns, reactive armour (which reduces the chance of a hit penetrating the vehicle) and digital communications. Predictably enough, the Ukrainian government claims the Russians have suffered even higher losses. All rights reserved. These deficiencies probably contribute to the widespread incidents of turret ejection, which are well documented in eye-witness videos from Ukraine. Odesa Oblast, Governor Maksym Marchenko, warned the Russian military was preparing to launch a massive missile attack on Ukraine with the use of aircraft and ships. Plants that made tractors and railway engines were told to build tanks instead. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Russia will need to bolster its own fleet if it hopes to hold on to territory it has won. Experts have also noted that Russian armor was maintained poorly before the war and some tanks in storage may have been scavenged for parts to keep those sent to the front lines working. Just a few months into the war, analysts noticed a design flaw in Russian tanks that meant a single incoming anti-tank round could explode their ammunition stores. "They're designed to attack quickly with lots of firepower. The 26th Tank Regiment is part of the 47th Guards Tank Division, which is a crucial point, according to Clarke, given the "elite" status conferred by the title of "Guards." Many of them will fall in on some ex-Russian T-72, scrubbed clean of any evidence of its old crew and sporting freshly painted Ukrainian insignia. Russia rarely discloses its military losses. Oryx, an open-source intelligence blog, has documented 1,700 losses. Others have been driven into ditches so that the tracks have come off. There are some additional vehicles at higher command levels: artillery and air defense units plus a number of other units such as the irregular separatist forces. But are these images representative of a larger trend or merely isolated incidents? "Due to sanctions they might have to replace sensors and electronics with inferior alternatives -- and the amount they can produce in the near term is a fraction of what they are losing. However, Javelins are fitted with two warheads. It has been used by the British Army on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq, and has never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy, the British Army states. The Leopards have long been coveted by the Ukrainian president due to their manoeuvrability on the battlefield and easiness to operate and maintain. 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