Ukraine Has Destroyed 2,000 Russian Tanks, 254 Aircraft & 48,700 Soldiers

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Ukrainian fighters have destroyed more than 2,000 Russian tanks, 48,700 personnel and 4,300 Armored Personnel Vehicles since the beginning of the invasion roughly six months ago, a number which reflects the intensity and effectiveness of Ukrainian ambushes, anti-armor tactics and intense will to fight.

These statistics, published Sept. 2 by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, specify that as many as 12 Russian tanks and 21 APVs have been destroyed in just the past few days.

Tanks

There are several key variables to consider here, as the Ukrainians have without question shown an ability to leverage anti-armor weapons with great effectiveness to blunt, slow down or simply destroy Russian mechanized attack. At the same time, Global Firepower reports that the Russian military operates as many as 12,000 tanks, a number suggesting there may be sufficient hardware and heavy armor available for Russia to sustain heavy attack. This 12,000 number may seem quite high, yet how many of them have been maintained, upgraded and kept war ready in recent years? There are numerous reports indicating that thousands of tanks in this large fleet may not be in an operational status, a fact which makes Ukraine’s destruction of 2,000 tanks extremely impactful.

Thousands of tanks in Russia’s arsenal are Cold War era T-72s, and the Soviet-built tanks may be proving less capable against dismounted anti-armor weapons when it comes to sensing, targeting, protections and mobility. The Russian likely operate more capable 1990s-era T-90 tanks as well, yet the large numbers of T-72s means the invading force is likely primarily operating 1970s-era tanks, as the T-72 first entered service in 1973. However, even if the Russians still possess thousands and thousands of tanks, however old, Kremlin leaders may be reluctant to keep sending them in large numbers given how vulnerable they have proven to be against anti-armor tactics.

An interesting report from Business Insider publishes pictures of Russian tanks with makeshift “cages” placed on top in an apparent effort to defend against and mitigate risk from top-down anti-armor attacks from Javelins, RPGs or other kinds of anti-tank weapons which have proven effective. However, observers pointed out that these cages were abandoned in many cases as they made it too difficult for Russian soldiers to escape a burning tank damaged by Ukrainian fire. 

Certainly the Ukrainians have likely been using elevated terrain, buildings and other structures to attack from advantageous, and obscured or hidden positions to destroy incoming Russian vehicles. Ukrainian anti-armor success also suggests that perhaps Russian T-72s and T-90s lack the kind of modern sensors, targeting and active protection systems sufficient to mount a credible defense against Ukrainian anti-tank weapons. T-72s have been mass produced and exported to as many as 40 countries over the years, and Ukraine operates them as well, so the range, resolution and effectiveness of its targeting sensors is likely well known by Ukrainian attackers.