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Russia Refurbishes Armored Vehicles Following Heavy Losses in Ukraine.
Russian forces, in their ongoing effort to maintain combat power in the face of significant losses, are increasingly relying on refurbished tanks and armored vehicles pulled from strategic reserves. This strategy allows them to compensate for battlefield losses, but its long-term sustainability appears questionable according to various analysts. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported that these vehicles now represent a large share of the deployed equipment—a temporary solution that may not be sustainable in a prolonged war.
The Russian armed forces continue to heavily depend on refurbished tanks and armored vehicles from storage. (Picture source: Russian Media)
The Russian armed forces continue to heavily depend on refurbished tanks and armored vehicles from storage to replace losses incurred in ongoing combat operations. However, this approach raises questions about its long-term viability.
Viktor Kevlyuk, an expert at the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies, recently stated that Russia is producing and refurbishing between 150 and 160 tanks per month, approximately 1,920 tanks per year. This figure appears to match the current replacement rate needed to compensate for Russian vehicle losses. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian tank losses have reportedly reached approximately 3,558 units, according to estimates from the Dutch open-source initiative Oryx.
Kevlyuk notes that only 30% of these vehicles are newly manufactured each year, while 70% come directly from reserves, often requiring refurbishment before reuse. British intelligence services have also estimated that, if this rate of depletion continues, Russia may exhaust its stockpiles of tanks and combat vehicles by the fall 2025.
The British International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) projects that Russian forces will be able to sustain around 3,000 vehicles annually to offset losses over the next two to three years, primarily by reactivating reserve vehicles. However, this intensive effort could weaken the sustainability of Russian capabilities in the long term, especially as the Russian industrial sector can reportedly produce or refurbish only between 250 and 300 tanks per year, according to Ukrainian military analyst Kostyantyn Mashovets.
Russia has increased the production of new tanks, including the T-90M, but international sanctions have hampered its ability to acquire essential components for the production and modernization of its military equipment.
While Russia manages to maintain part of its military power by redeploying refurbished armored vehicles to the front, the long-term outlook raises concerns about Moscow's ability to sustain a protracted war. Industrial limitations and logistical constraints risk undermining the sustainability of this strategy, particularly as the stockpiles of tanks and armored vehicles could be depleted in the coming years if the current pace of combat persists.
Russia has even called upon MosFilm, its renowned state movie studio, to supply vintage military equipment. The studio has sent 28 T-55 tanks from the 1950s, along with 8 PT-76 amphibious armored vehicles, 6 BMP armored transport vehicles, and 8 tractors from its warehouses. These vehicles initially used as props for film productions, are now being deployed in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This event highlights Russia's growing need to resort to alternative means to maintain its capabilities on the ground, despite the outdated nature and unsuitability of this equipment for modern conflict. The use of tanks and armored vehicles that would typically serve cultural purposes underscores the extent of the logistical and material challenges the Russian army faces amid the intensity of the current conflict.
In light of current events, the intensity of the fighting has even increased, notably with an offensive in the Kursk region. At this rate, it is evident that Russia may not be able to keep up with the demands imposed by the conflict, and alternative solutions will need to be found and implemented.