As fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces continues in Ukraine, Russia is believed to have lost hundreds of tanks within two months of its invasion of Ukraine, according to the BBC.
Military experts attribute the losses to the advanced anti-tank weapons the West has provided to Ukraine and the poor way in which Russia has used its tanks.
How big are the losses of Russian tanks?
Ukraine’s armed forces claim that Russia has lost more than 680 tanks.
Meanwhile, Oryx – a military intelligence website that estimates Russia’s military losses in Ukraine based on photos sent from the war zone – says Russia has lost more than 460 tanks and more than 2,000 other armored vehicles.
According to the Rand Corporation and the IISS, Russia had a total of about 2,700 tanks at the start of the conflict.
How effective are anti-tank weapons?
The United States supplied Ukraine with 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles at the start of the conflict and has since sent at least 2,000 more.
Javelins can be fired so that the rocket explodes at the top of a chariot, where armor is weaker, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Many Russian tanks are equipped with rocket-propelled grenades. However, Javelins are equipped with two heads. One blows up the shield and the other pierces the frame from below.
The United Kingdom has also sent at least 3,600 NLAW missiles.
“Javelin and NLAW are very powerful,” said Nick Reynolds, a ground warfare researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). “Without this help, the situation in Ukraine would be very different.”
The United States is also supplying Ukraine with 100 Switchblade anti-tank drones. Known as “kamikaze” drones, they can hover over a target miles away from their pilot and then fall on a chariot, destroying it with their warheads on tip.
What degree of responsibility do Russian tactics have?
Today, the Russian army operates through Battalion Tactical Teams (BTGs), which are independent combat units consisting of tanks, infantry and artillery. The exact composition of these units may vary, but they generally involve a large number of armored vehicles but relatively few infantry troops.
“Russia has relatively few troops to recruit,” said Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University. strong firepower. “However, they have very little protection for infantry personnel to accompany them and return fire if the armored phalanx is attacked.”
“This makes the Russian army like a boxer with an excellent right hook and a paper jaw.”
Professor O’Brien notes that the lack of Russian air patrols means that Ukrainian troops have easily found positions to ambush Russian tank phalanxes.
“Russia did not gain air superiority at the beginning of the conflict,” he said. they do a lot of damage that way. ”
How much is Russian incompetence to blame?
According to Oryx, half of the tanks that Russia has lost have not been destroyed or damaged by the enemy, but have been “captured” or abandoned.
Experts attribute this to logistical failures and incompetence of Russian troops.
“We have seen images of Russian tanks being swept away by Ukrainian farmers’ tractors,” said Professor O’Brien. “Some of these tanks were abandoned because they ran out of fuel. This is a logistical failure. Some got stuck in the spring mud because the top administration invaded at the wrong time.”
“Russia’s ground forces are made up of many recruits. This makes them, in global terms, a low- to medium-quality combat force,” said RUSI’s Nick Reynolds.
“Many tanks have been abandoned due to poor driving. Some have fallen off bridges. Others have fallen into ditches. The troops’ ability to use their equipment is lacking. But in many cases, the soldiers simply abandoned their vehicles and left. Therefore “There is also a lack of will for war.”
The Ukrainian government has even issued instructions on how citizens should hand over abandoned military vehicles.
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Source: Capital
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