Russia’s army is estimated to have lost nearly 40% of its prewar fleet of tanks after nine months of fighting in Ukraine, according to a count by the specialist thinktank the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS).
That rises to as much as 50% for some of the key tanks used in combat, forcing Russia to reach into its still sizeable cold war-era stocks. Ukraine’s tank numbers are estimated to have increased because of the number it has captured and supplies of Soviet-era tanks from its western allies.
John Chipman, the thinktank’s chair, said the war had been “a political and military failure for Russia” highlighting shortcomings in leadership and deficiencies in its munitions, despite Kremlin modernisation efforts.
#Ukraine: A Ukrainian BMK-460 tugboat was struck and taken out of action by a Russian Lancet loitering munition. pic.twitter.com/YKwRNYnI6c
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 15, 2023
