American Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report on Russian activities. A Washington think tank last year analyzed Russia’s losses. The summary is based on an analysis by a Dutch study group Oryx and data Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the report, in last year’s conflicts, Russia lost 1,800 to 3,500 tanksAnd 10 thousand Important military components.
Oryx More than 500 modernized, believed to be Russian T-72B3 tanksIt was damaged just last week.
Although Russia suffered heavy losses, its military capabilities, in terms of number of weapons, far exceeded that of the Ukrainian army.
“Although there is no exact data on Russia’s military resources, it can be estimated The Kremlin’s air force is 13 to 15 times larger than Kiev’s. Russia has about seven or eight times as many tanks and four times as many combat vehicles. His fleet is approx 12-16 times larger than Ukraine, according to the report.
The main target of the Russian offensive Ukrainian infrastructure Important ones include electricity and district heating networks. According to a CSIS report, Russia launched 5,000 missiles in October 2022 alone. However, Moscow is using older and older equipment for its attacks.
– They started with T-80 and T-90 tanks and continued with T-72. We also saw tanks of the T-55 model – quotes Western experts Swedish daily “Dagens Nighter”.
T-90 tanks appeared in the army in the 90s of the last century. The T-80 and T-72 models date from the 1970s. The T-55, on the other hand, is a prototype Since the 40s. The Russian military increasingly relies on older models.
American Institute for War Studies provided information that Dmitry Medvedev announced the production 1,500 new tanks. However, according to CSIS, Russian experts say that Moscow should restore old models and not produce new ones. Russia has 5,000 Soviet-era tanks. Renovating them will yield 90 “new” tanks per month.
Joachim BasikiviA lecturer Swedish Stockholm Defense AcademyDraws attention to very poor settings of outdated models.
“This type of legacy system requires a highly trained workforce, which appears to be lacking in Russia,” says Basikivi.
Due to the economic sanctions imposed on Russia, the country is losing some technologically advanced equipment. Microchips are an example of such components. However, as the report points out, Sanctions will not force Russia to end the war.
– The qualitative difference between Ukraine and Russia is growing, but to some extent it can be compensated quantitatively. But the Russians have to start using their tanks in a more efficient way, something we haven’t seen before, he says. Joachim Basikivi.