Russian troops have significantly reduced the use of armored vehicles in the most active areas of the front in recent weeks. According to analysts, this may be due to attempts to preserve existing vehicles as Soviet stocks are depleted.
Points of attention
- The Russian Federation has reduced the use of armored vehicles at the front due to economic reasons and the depletion of Soviet reserves.
- Russian troops use infantry for attacks instead of armored vehicles, which indicates the difficulties with its re-equipment.
- According to analysts, Russia will not be able to maintain the pace of losses and preserve technical resources until 2026.
- Experts note that Russian losses in the war in eastern Ukraine exceed the possibilities of compensation even in the medium term.
- Data on the losses of the Russian army indicate a significant amount of destroyed armored vehicles and invaders in a short period of time.
Russia will not be able to maintain its army until 2026
According to the Ukrainian military, the Russians in the Kurakhiv direction are mostly using infantry for attacks, using armored vehicles only for fire support.
In addition, as reported by The New York Times, Russian troops are increasingly using electric scooters, motorcycles, and all-terrain vehicles to compensate for losses of armored vehicles during the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
ISW analysts name several possible reasons:
Unsuitability of the terrain. Fighting near large cities such as Kurakhove and Pokrovsk is less conducive to mechanized attacks compared to open fields or small settlements.
Difficulty with re-equipment. Russian forces are likely to have problems replacing lost equipment. Commands may avoid sending units for recovery, fearing that it will slow down the offensive.
In 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed or damaged over 3,000 Russian tanks and about 9,000 pieces of armored vehicles. According to ISW estimates, Russia is unable to compensate for such losses in the medium term.
By the end of December, Russian troops had:
47% of pre-war tank reserves;
52% of infantry fighting vehicles;
45% of armored personnel carriers.
Experts note that Russia will not be able to maintain the current annual rate of losses of almost 9,000 armored vehicles until 2025. The current level of losses exceeds the rate of the first two years of the war by almost three times, which calls into question Russia's ability to maintain technical resources even until 2026.
What is known about the losses of the Russian army per day?
As the General Staff notes, the Defense Forces destroyed 1,730 Russian invaders in a day, and the following equipment was destroyed:
tanks — 9686 (+7) units;
armored combat vehicles — 20,119 (+26) units;
artillery systems — 21,603 (+25) units;
MLRS — 1257 units;
air defense systems — 1032 units;
aircraft — 369 units;
helicopters — 331 units;
Operational-tactical level UAVs — 21,447 (+91) units;
cruise missiles — 3006 units;
ships/boats — 28 units;
submarines — 1 unit;
automotive equipment and tank trucks — 32,940 (+97) units;
special equipment — 3677 (+2) units.
