By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Why are Russian tanks so vulnerable? There continues to be a massive amount of documented photos and scenarios involving the destruction of Russian tanks at the hands of Ukrainian mechanized forces, drones, rockets and dismounted fighters with anti-armor weapons.
Is there something implicitly flawed about Russia’s employment of tanks? Certainly several things come to mind, including what some former military generals have said, simply that Russia is not very skilled at combined arms maneuver. Alongside questions of Russia’s tactical failures, some wonder if advanced anti-armor weapons have made tanks somewhat obsolete or less threatening on a modern combat environment. The US Marine Corps Force Design, for example, cites anti-tank weapon success in Ukraine as a reason for the Corps to decrease its amount of heavy tanks in favor of more expeditionary weapons such as drones, high-speed anti-armor weapons and shoulder-fired anti-tank guided missiles.
There is also the question of Ukraine’s resolve, tenacity, tactical adeptness and sheer intensity to attack Russian armor, and Russian tanks have proven vulnerable to top-down attacks. Russia’s tank fleet is also not only massively impaired but potentially not sufficiently upgraded to withstand more advanced attacks. Finally, there is the ongoing question of Russian morale, as many Russian soldiers are abandoning their vehicles and simply may not want to kill Ukrainians.
Russian Tank Destruction
Russian tanks simply continue to get decimated by Ukrainian forces in the ongoing war, and the current counteroffensive may well be accelerating the pace at which Russian tanks are destroyed.
There are many reasons for this, including simple Ukrainian tenacity, tactical proficiency, anti-tank weapons, and of course rockets, artillery, and armored vehicles. Ukrainian success has raised new questions about modern warfare and the combat utility of the main battle tank.
While tanks themselves are likely not going anywhere, the war in Ukraine has highlighted the effectiveness of anti-armor weapons and tactics and also pointed to how tanks can best be employed in combat.
How Russian Tanks Get Destroyed
Exact numbers of destroyed Russian tanks can be difficult to come by, yet numerous estimates place Russian tank losses in the thousands, with many suggesting Russia has already lost more than half of its tank fleet. What is increasingly significant about this is that Ukrainian forces seem to increasingly be finding enterprising ways to destroy tanks and build upon their initial success with anti-armor weapons. Artillery, drones, armored vehicles, and even air and missile attacks can destroy tanks, all in addition to the successful anti-armor weapons Ukraine used to such great effect at the beginning of the war.
Open-source intelligence website Oryx has cataloged thousands of destroyed Russian tanks. The Oryx site reports that 2,103 Russian tanks have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured. Expert commentary on the Oryx site explains that the actual number of destroyed tanks is likely much larger than they have documented, as they can only confirm what they photograph and identify. However, the numbers are quite substantial, according to Oryx, which breaks down the 2,103 tanks as 1,323 destroyed, 120 damaged, 116 abandoned and 544 captured.
T-72s, T-90s and T-55s Getting Blasted
According to the Oryx site, the largest number of destroyed tanks are Soviet-era T-72s and T-90 tanks, yet the site is also clear that older Soviet T-54 and T-55 tanks are being destroyed as well. The T-54s and T-55s are tanks from WWII- and post-WWII era, and they are likely less capable tanks. However, Russia has been using these outdated tanks due to the high number of tanks they continue to lose in the ongoing war. The T-55s are slightly smaller and less mobile than T-72s and T-90s, and they likely do not have some of the electronics, thermal sights, or other upgrades found woven into some of the T-72s and T-90s.
During the opening days of the war, Russian tanks were obliterated by successful anti-armor weapons as Ukrainian fighters adeptly used terrain, urban settings, narrow passageways, and choke points to isolate, ambush, and destroy invading Russian armor. In more recent months, Ukrainian soldiers have built upon this tactical success through the use of artillery, longer-range rockets, drones, and most recently, the arrival of more armored vehicles such as Bradleys and tanks.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. This was originally posted on 19FortyFive.com as part of a syndication agreement to publish their content. You can find more of their content at 19FortyFive.com.
