Ukraine's massive blow to Russia: over 6,000 tanks and 362k personnel casualties reported
Ukrainian military expert, Colonel Petro Chernyk, compared the Russian Federation forces' losses with previous conflicts. He stated that Russia has never before encountered such severe tank losses, pointing out that only about 140 tanks were lost during the decade-long war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. In Chernyk's view, the enemy's most significant tanks in reasonable quantities are T-90s. They have T-72s, T-80s, T-64s, T-54s, T-55s, and even a few T-34s in reserve.
Russian losses amount to huge numbers
According to statistics from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, on the 680th day of the invasion, personnel casualties (including the killed, wounded, and prisoners) amount to about 362,280 people. Using the statistical rule that for every person killed, there are typically 3.5 injured and captives, it's estimated that roughly 100,000 people have died. In comparison, the already mentioned bloody war in Afghanistan, which spanned ten years, led to the deaths of 14-16 thousand Russians.
Ukrainian data indicates that the Russians have also lost more than 8.5 thousand artillery systems, upward of 6.7 thousand unmanned aerial vehicles, 329 airplanes, and 324 helicopters. The number of lost supporting vehicles, trucks, and fuel tankers is even larger, exceeding 11 thousand.
What do the Russians still possess and what have they lost?
Most noteworthy is the T-90, which was produced starting in 1993. This tank's design was largely based on the T-72B tank. It can achieve a maximum speed of 40 mph (rounded) and has a range of 404 miles (rounded). It's equipped with a smoothbore 2A46M-3 cannon, which has a 125mm caliber. Russia had approximately 700 of these vehicles, in various modifications, before the war. The Oryx portal, which verifies the destruction of Russian vehicles in Ukraine, has recorded the loss or interception of 97 of these vehicles (though destroyed unidentified tanks may include other T-90s).
The T-72 is the most common type of tank in Russia's arsenal and served as the basis for the design of the T-90. The T-72 can reach a maximum speed of 37 mph (rounded) under ideal conditions and is equipped with a basic version of the 125mm 2A46M cannon. The International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that before the war, Russia maintained around 2000 active T-72s, along with 7000 in reserve. The Oryx portal confirms the destruction, damage, or capture of at least 1331 T-72 tanks, under various modifications.
The new T-14 Armata tank, which was reportedly brought to the front once but later removed, is now supposedly being refined. However, no one in Ukraine has verified its existence. Given the various issues reported in connection with this tank, its appearance on the battlefield remains uncertain.
