Russian industry annually produces 500-600 new tanks, but the Russians lose more than a thousand tanks and about 2,000 combat vehicles a year.
What is the stock of tanks and combat vehicles in the Russian army by the middle of 2025
According to the publication, during 26 months of heavy fighting, the Russian military lost 15,300 tanks, combat vehicles, howitzers and other weapons in Ukraine, as well as hundreds of thousands of service members.
And yet, there are more Russian forces in Ukraine than ever.
In fact, the Russian army is now 15% larger than at the beginning of the invasion. Over the past year, Russia has increased the number of its frontline troops from 360,000 to 470,000, said US Army General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's top commander.
But, as Forbes notes, Russian soldiers die as quickly as they arrive in Ukraine. In one recent study, Estonia's defense ministry concluded that killing 100,000 Russians this year would cause irreparable damage and even derail the Kremlin's mobilization efforts.
As reported, Russia fills the equipment shortage with Soviet equipment from the 1970s and, in some cases, even from the ‘60s or ‘50s. But these old cars have a limited life.
The latest forecasts suggest that by the middle of 2025, no more old tanks and combat vehicles will be left in warehouses.
According to Forbes, evidence of the shortage is already visible, with Russian troops riding into battle in unarmored cargo trucks and even open-top golf carts that the Kremlin purchased from a Chinese company.
NATO named Ukraine's most effective weapon for destroying Russian tanks
One of the NATO representatives stated on condition of anonymity that the AFU recently destroyed 66% of Russian tanks with the help of cheap FPV drones.
Despite the fact that the large-scale losses of Russians due to drones can be considered a success of the Armed Forces, it also shows that Ukrainian soldiers currently have no alternative.
Ukraine has long faced a severe shortage of artillery shells and other weapons because many of its allies are slowing down the supply process.
To compensate for this, Ukrainian forces use FPV drones for a number of tasks during the war, including surveillance and attacks on enemy positions. Some drones are equipped with explosives and are controlled remotely through a video screen, Foreign Policy notes.
