Russia’s heavy military losses in Ukraine war are revealed - tanks, ships, artillery

The conflict in Ukraine has posed significant challenges for Russia's armored units, originally intended as a powerful vanguard to breach Ukrainian defenses. Citing an unnamed U.S. official, Reuters reports that Russia commenced the war with 3,100 tanks, but has since lost 2,200 of them.

To compensate for these losses, Moscow has turned to older platforms like T-62s from the 1970s, with Newsweek indicating that approximately 1,300 tanks are currently in use. Some of the older tanks have been repurposed into static firing platforms or even filled with explosives for use as vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

Among the casualties are numerous T-90 main battle tanks, which represent Russia's most advanced combat-proven platform. The anticipated deployment of the modern T-14 Armata, heavily promoted but rarely seen, was scrapped earlier this year due to escalating costs, according to defense conglomerate Rostec.

According to the IISS Military Balance 2024 report, Russia still retains around 1,750 tanks of various types, including over 200 T-90s, with up to 4,000 tanks in storage.

Despite facing resistance from Ukrainian gunners, Russia's artillery—referred to as the "god of war"—continues to play a crucial role on the battlefield, boasting 4,397 guns of various types, as reported by the IISS. Ukraine asserts it has destroyed more than 10,700 Russian artillery pieces in the conflict thus far.

In the air, Russia initially struggled to leverage its numerical superiority. Ukrainian aircraft remain active, conducting regular sorties and utilizing an expanding anti-air arsenal to restrict Russian airspace.

Ukraine claims to have downed 347 Russian aircraft since February 2022. The Oryx open-source intelligence website confirms 97 aircraft destroyed and eight damaged.

The IISS notes that the Russian air force maintains approximately 1,169 fixed-wing aircraft, including bombers, fighters, fighter/ground attack planes, and dedicated ground attack aircraft, along with 340 attack helicopters.

The Black Sea Fleet, starting with approximately 80 vessels, has suffered losses, with Ukraine reporting the destruction of 27 ships and the forced repair of at least 15 others. The Fleet's headquarters in the occupied Crimean city of Sevastopol has been razed, with several critical dry dock facilities sustaining severe damage.