Losses from the Russian tank that Vladimir Putin boasted was “the most productive in the world” reached triple figures during his large-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a tally by an open-source intelligence site.
The T-90M “Proryv” (Breakthrough) tank is the most complex Russian vehicle in the T-90 family and the upgrade to the widely used T-72 is the main competitor to the U. S. Army’s M1 Abrams tanks provided via Washington to Kiev.
Russian media has praised the T-90M’s features, adding a stronger engine, a forward turret and a multi-channel sight for night operations.
First ordered in 2020, Russian media reported in January 2023 that the Uralvagonzavod tank had delivered a new batch of upgraded T-90Ms to Russian troops for use on the front line in Ukraine.
In June 2023, Putin told reporters that “modern tanks are needed” for the war and that “we can now say that the T-90 is the most productive tank in the world; once it’s in position, that’s it,” Tass reported.
However, the tank’s high-end features have made it immune to the significant overall losses of the military apparatus that Russia has faced in Ukraine, according to Dutch warfare specialist Oryx.
On Tuesday, its tally, which counts Russian aircraft destroyed or captured on video or still images, puts the tank’s losses at one hundred since the start of the war on February 24, 2022.
That’s 3 more than the 97 indexed in the last 3 updates on June 24, 17, and 15, though it’s unclear when the last 3 tanks were added.
As photographic or video evidence is needed, Oryx said that “the number of aircraft destroyed is particularly higher than that recorded here,” suggesting that more T-90Ms may also have been lost in combat but have not been recorded.
Newsweek emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
In January 2024, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry released X-ray footage of what it said was a U. S. -made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle crushing a Russian T-90M tank.
During the war, Oryx claims that Russia lost 3,235 tanks, of which 2,199 were destroyed, 156 damaged, 362 abandoned, and 518 captured.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s estimates of Russian tank losses are higher, with the total on Tuesday standing at 8,227, following the loss of thirteen tanks the previous day.
The highest daily Russian tank loss figure in Ukraine was 44 on October 3; This figure is not broken down by vehicle categories, and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says its estimate is “very approximate. “
Brendan Cole is a senior reporter at Newsweek in London, UK. He focuses on Russia and Ukraine, specifically the war unleashed through Moscow. He also covers other areas of geopolitics, adding China.
Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from International Business Times and, in addition to English, studies Russian and French.
You can contact Brendan by emailing b. cole@newsweek. com or by following him on his X @brendanmarkcole account.
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