Russian tank losses in Donetsk: A growing concern for Moscow

Journalists from the American magazine "Forbes" draw attention to one of the latest attacks carried out by the Russians against Ukrainian forces in the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region. The aggressor army lost equipment during the strike, which is becoming increasingly valuable for Moscow.

Social media regularly features recordings showing the latest losses on Russian and Ukrainian sides. In the case of the former, the damages usually involve older machines that the invaders have in their arsenal. However, these vehicles are sometimes exceptionally important for the aggressor army due to their offensive capabilities or simply their limited quantity—this was also the case in the city above of Kurakhove.

As "Forbes" notes, the Russians lost, among other things, three T-72B3 tanks in the Donetsk region during one attack. The 79th Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is responsible for their destruction. All the destroyed vehicles were equipped with the latest technology—anti-drone mesh armor, radio locators, and mine-clearing rollers. Why is it a valuable loss?

"The T-72B3 is one of the two types of tanks produced in Russia. The other is the heavier T-90M. The Russian industry produces from 500 to 600 new T-72 and T-90 tanks annually. This is significantly more than any other country, but far too few to compensate for the approximately 1,200 tanks that Russian forces lose each year in Ukraine," we read.

"Forbes" emphasizes that the loss of each T-72B3 is a severe blow to the Russian defense industry because the sector is unable to cover current losses. For this reason, the Kremlin decided to remove the oldest operational units from storage—including T-54, T-55, and T-60—and send them to the front.

Old tanks are becoming an increasingly larger part of Russia's tank corps, Forbes explains. "T-72B3s are becoming rare, and this obviously makes their mass destruction particularly painful for the Russians," we read.

The T-72B3 is considered one of the best tanks currently in the Russian armed forces. It is a modernization of the T-72B conducted since 2011, where optoelectronics were primarily improved, and the capability to use new types of ammunition, i.e., the Svesiec family projectiles with a longer penetrator, was ensured.

The T-72B3 is equipped with the Catherine-FC fire control system. With stabilization ensuring greater accuracy, the machine's smoothbore gun 2A45M-5 is responsible for shelling enemy positions. However, the weapon upgrades contributed to a reduction in armor thickness. This is due to the necessity of creating space for the autoloader from the inside, which directly weakened the T-72B3's armor.