INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia has resorted to sending aging, Soviet-era tanks to the battlefield in Ukraine in a desperate bid to compensate for its staggering
lost over 2,000 tanks out of the 3,000 combat-ready vehicles of its original reserve when it invaded Ukraine 17 months ago.As these losses
Soviet-era T-54, T-55 and T-62 tanks out of storage and to the frontline, even as Ukraine receives increasingly advanced artillery from its
Western allies.These tanks are ill-equipped to fulfill their intended combat roles on the modern battlefield
Outdated optics, surveillance systems and fire control systems, coupled with inadequate protection against modern anti-tank weaponry,
maneuvering toward Ukrainian positions
The tank triggered a mine and came to a halt before an anti-tank missile fired by a Ukrainian soldier engulfed it in a burst of flames
Can an organizationally degrading army, turning into a conglomerate of irregular formations, use equipment stuffed with explosives, like
resurrection of T-54/55 museum tanks for active duty first surfaced at the end of March, when videos circulated on social media of the aging
vehicles being transported by rail
Prior to this, Russia had also sent retired T-62 tanks to the frontline.Experts initially posited that Russia was resorting to such measures
II and was manufactured from 1947-1959
1962-1975.Different countries, including Russia, pursued various modifications of the T-62 and T-55/54 until the early 2000s in an attempt
It was not until the early 2010s that the Russian army retired these tanks, consigning thousands to storage facilities with plans for their
For instance, the T-62 can fire at best 500-600 rounds of high-explosive shells
into remotely controlled long-term firing positions, Ukrainian expert Vladislav Seleznyov told the U.S.-funded Current Time broadcaster.The
pro-Russian Telegram channel Military Informant also reported the deployment of obsolete tanks instead of the scarce self-propelled
artillery, with T-54/55 tanks replacing lost self-propelled artillery pieces within some artillery battalions
The channel has even released a video showcasing the use of T-62 tanks in this manner.Azerbaijan also deployed T-55 tanks as self-propelled
artillery during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, despite these vehicles having been officially decommissioned.Such tactics cannot replace
Due to the design features of these vehicles and their ammunition, they are not capable of firing at the same distances as self-propelled
Russia is still compelled to keep its old tanks close to the frontline, where they become vulnerable targets for Ukrainian
artillery.Although Russian storage facilities house larger numbers of the more modern T-72 and T-80 tanks, challenges related to
refurbishing these tanks further impede their swift reintegration at the frontline
is also a paucity of imported electronics due to international sanctions, meaning the latest modification of the T-72 tank was not equipped
with advanced French-made thermal imaging systems, but with inferior Russian alternatives.Luzin confirmed that Russia lacks the capacity to
The T-62 and T-55 are easier to restore," Luzin said.Ukraine has also employed a variant of the T-55 tank known as the M-55S, which was
developed in the 1990s by Slovenian and Israeli defense firms
The upgraded tanks boast a new engine, a more powerful 105-mm British gun, modern fire control systems and supplementary dynamic
Of course, it surpasses the T-55 in terms of capabilities and ergonomics
In general, even the Soviet equipment that the countries of the Warsaw Pact produced, without any upgrades, turned out to be better than
seen in a military training ground during a drill for destroying military hardware supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by other
As a result, it is likely that Russia will increasingly rely on ersatz artillery in the form of outdated tanks.Because of equipment
shortages, the Russian military attempted to employ a certain number of T-62 tanks for their intended purpose
These tanks were fitted with dynamic protection against anti-tank missiles and thermal imaging systems to enhance crew
Russian crews apparently abandoned these obsolete tanks, unwilling to engage in battle from such vulnerable vehicles.Luzin suggested that
You receive orders to attack, but you don't want to execute them
So, you load the tank with explosives, send it forward, the driver engages full throttle, blocks the gas pedal, jumps out of the tank, and
