(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In an unbelievable humiliation to Putin’s Russia, which used to claim to be the second strongest military power after the United States, the Russians have lost over 3,000 main battle tanks so far in their brutal invasion of a pro-Western Ukraine launched two years ago.
Since attacking Ukraine from three sides on February 24, 2022, Russia has experienced significant military losses, with over 3,000 tanks – the entirety of its pre-war active arsenal – lost in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
This is according to figures from the annual Military Balance report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, as cited by Reuters and Newsmax.
“It’s an astounding figure,” said Singapore-based defense analyst Alexander Neill regarding Russia’s tank losses.
At the same time, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry count, Russia has lost more than twice than number of tanks – alongside vast amounts of other military equipment.
Even so, despite the depletion of its tank stocks, Russia retains a vast reserve of less advanced armored vehicles, sufficient to continue replenishments for an extended period, according to the report.
Video footage and photos show the Russians are now resorting to fielding T-55 tanks, which were launched in service over seventy years ago.
Meanwhile, aid from Western nations like the US has enabled Ukraine to not only sustain its military resources but also to enhance the quality of its arsenal.
For instance, a recently surfaced Ukrainian drone video shows two US-supplied Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles destroying Russia’s most advanced tank.
The Military Balance report highlights Russia’s strategy of compensating for quality with quantity by activating thousands of older tanks from reserves, potentially at a rate that might have hit ninety tanks monthly.
It has thus maintained its military capabilities despite the inferior technical standards of these older models.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Putin’s Russia can endure substantial losses for approximately three more years, drawing from its stored inventory even without producing new equipment.
Despite having an active force of 1,750 main battle tanks, which include models from the aged T-55s to the more contemporary T-80s and T-90s, Russia also has about 4,000 tanks in storage.
The ongoing conflict suggests a potential deadlock that could extend into 2024, as per the Military Balance report.
