Russia is said to have lost hundreds of tanks within two months of invading Ukraine.
Military experts attribute the losses to sophisticated anti-tank weaponry provided by Western nations to Ukraine, as well as Russia’s poor tank use.
How great are Russia’s tanks losses?
According to Ukraine’s military forces, Russia has lost more than 680 tanks.
Meanwhile, Oryx, a military and intelligence site that tallies Russia’s military losses in Ukraine based on images received from the battlefield, claims that Russia has lost more than 460 tanks and over 2,000 other armoured vehicles.
Russia had around 2,700 main battle tanks in its offensive force at the start of the conflict, according to the Rand Corporation and the IISS.
According to Ukraine’s military forces, Russia has lost more than 680 tanks.
Meanwhile, Oryx, a military and intelligence site that tallies Russia’s military losses in Ukraine based on images received from the battlefield, claims that Russia has lost more than 460 tanks and over 2,000 other armoured vehicles.
Russia had around 2,700 main battle tanks in its offensive force at the start of the conflict, according to the Rand Corporation and the IISS.
The US provided Ukraine with 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles at the outset of the war and has subsequently deployed at least 2,000 more.
According to Lockheed Martin, javelins may be shot in such a way that the missile bursts on the top of a tank, where the armour is weakest.
Many Russian tanks are outfitted with reactive armour, which absorbs the impact of missiles.
Javelins, on the other hand, are equipped with two warheads. The first blasts away the reactive armour, while the second pierces the chassis beneath.
The UK has also provided at least 3,600 NLAW missiles.
These are likewise intended to detonate when they travel over the tank’s relatively exposed turret top.
“Javelin and NLAW are highly powerful,” says Nick Reynolds, a ground warfare research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). “The situation in Ukraine would be extremely different if this lethal help had not been provided.”
Ukraine is receiving 100 Switchblade anti-tank drones from the United States.
They are known as “kamikaze” drones because they can hover above a target from miles away and then drop on top of a tank, killing it with the warhead at their tip.
How much are Russian tactics to blame?
The Russian army now uses Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs), which are self-contained combat formations comprised of tanks, infantry, and artillery.
The actual makeup of these units varies, although they often consist of a big number of armoured vehicles and a small number of infantry personnel.
“Russia has very few troops to rely on,” explains Phillips O’Brien, a strategic studies professor at St Andrews University, “therefore BTGs are a method of producing a combat force with a lot of punch.”
“They’re built to strike swiftly and with a lot of firepower.” “They have very little protection in terms of infantry men to accompany them and respond if the armoured column is attacked,” he argues.
“That makes the Russian army like a boxer who has a great right hook and a glass jaw.”
Prof. O’Brien claims that due to a lack of Russian air patrols, Ukrainian soldiers have found it easier to position themselves to ambush Russian tank columns.
“Because Russia did not gain air superiority at the outset of the conflict,” he claims, “they cannot scan the sky, observing Ukrainian army movements.”
“This implies that Ukrainian soldiers were able to get into ideal firing positions for ambushes, and they were able to cause a lot of damage this way.”
