Hello everyone, you are watching another episode of Military TV. In today’s session,
we will discuss why Russia lost so many tanks during the conflict with Ukraine, if you are
eager to know more about this topic, don’t go anywhere, stay tuned only at this channel.
Within two months of invading Ukraine, Russia is reported to have lost hundreds of tanks.
Military experts explain the losses to advanced anti-tank weapons
provided by Western nations to Ukraine, as well as Russia's poor way of operating the tanks.
According to Ukraine's military forces, Russia has lost about 680 tanks. In line to this,
Oryx, a military and intelligence site that estimates Russia's military losses in Ukraine
based on photos received from the conflict zone, claims the country has lost over 460 tanks
and over 2,000 other armoured vehicles. Russia had roughly 2,700 main battle tanks
before the start of the conflict, as mentioned by the Rand Corporation and the International
Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). At the start of the conflict, the US facilitated
Ukraine with 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles and has subsequently sent at least 2,000 more.
Javelins may be shot so that the missile bursts on the top of a tank, where the armour is weakest,
as stated by manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Many Russian tanks are equipped with reactive armour,
which absorbs missile impact. Javelins, on the other hand, are equipped with two warheads.
One blows away the reactive armour, and the second pierces the chassis underneath.
Furthermore, the United Kingdom has dispatched at least 3,600 Next Generation Light
Anti-tank Weapon missiles (NLAW). These are particularly designed to explode as
they pass over the tank's turret top. When the Javelin and NLAW missiles attack the tanks,
these weapons showed enormous power. As mentioned by Nick Reynolds, a land warfare research analyst
at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Javelin and NLAW are extremely powerful and the
situation in Ukraine would be extremely different if these lethal weapons had not been provided.
Ukraine will also receive 100 Switchblade anti-tank drones from the United States.
"Kamikaze" drones may hover over a target up to kilometers away from the operator
before dropping on top of a tank and destroying it with the warhead at their tip.
Nowadays, the Russian army operates through Battalion Tactical Groups
(BTGs), which relate to self-contained combat units made up of infantry,
artillery and tanks. Although the exact structure of these units varies, they
often comprised a significant number of armoured vehicles and a small number of infantry troops.
According to Phillips O'Brien, a strategic studies professor at St Andrews University, Russia has a
limited number of troops under its control, so BTGs are a way of putting together a fighting
unit with a lot of punch. They are designed to strike quickly with a lot of firepower. They may,
however, have very little infantry protection to accompany them and to counterattack if the
armoured column is attacked. The top of the tank is slightly protected, and that is the location
where the modern missiles aiming for. According to Professor O'Brien, the lack of Russian air patrols
made it possible for Ukrainian troops to attack Russian tank columns. Since Russia didn't get
air supremacy at the outset of the conflict, so they are unable to patrol the skies, observing
Ukrainian army activities. This condition implies that Ukrainian troops have been able to get into
effective attack sites and, consequently, they were able to cause significant damage.
According to Oryx's estimates, half of Russia’s tanks lost have not been damaged by the enemies,
rather they have been captured or abandoned. Experts attribute this to logistical trouble
and Russian soldiers’ incompetence. Professor O’Brien mentioned the pictures showed Russian
tanks being dragged off by Ukrainian farmers' tractors. Some of them were neglected since
they ran out of fuel. This seems to be a logistical trouble. Even several others were
stuck in the springtime dirt, as the high command invasion took place at the wrong time of year.
Russia's ground forces are comprised a large part of conscripts and recruits.
In the global terms, this qualifies them as a low to medium-quality fighting force,
RUSI's Nick Reynolds agrees with this statement. Due to poor driving, many tanks have been
abandoned. Some have been driven off bridges while some others have been driven into ditches so that
the tracks have come off. The troops' ability to operate their equipment has been a concern.
Soldiers, on the other hand, have frequently abandoned their vehicles and fled. As a result,
there hasn't been much of a desire to fight. Even instructions on how individuals should turn in
abandoned military vehicles have been released by the Ukrainian government. Authorities also stated
that anyone who discovers such "combat trophies" does not have to report them for tax purposes.
That’s all for today, thanks for watching and see you in the next episode!