Fearing reputational damage from the loss of Russia's newest Armata tanks, as well as their insufficient number, the Kremlin refused to send them to the front in Ukraine.
Why does Russia refuse to send the Armata tank to the front
The British analysts note the head of the Russian military concern "Rostech", Sergei Chemezov, said on Mar. 4 that the most modern Russian main battle tank (MBT), T-14 "Armata" has entered service with the army but will not be sent to Ukraine.
Chemezov stated that this happened because of the high cost, which limits the large-scale production of Armata tanks.
The Armata tank made its debut on Victory Day in 2015 and fell silent during rehearsals. The 1st Guards Tank Army was to receive Armata tanks in 2021. However, it is unlikely that supplies to any advanced units took place, British intelligence emphasized.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, the Armata tank was spotted during exercises in southern Russia in December 2022, and Kremlin news agencies said at the time that it would be used in Ukraine.
To date, it is almost certain that the T-14 "Armata" MBT has not been deployed to Ukraine. This is highly likely due to the potential reputational damage of losing the "prestige" vehicle in combat and the requirement to produce greater quantaties of MBTs, which can only be satisfied by other variants, the report notes.
What is known about the use of the "Armata" tank
In Jan. 2023, British intelligence already devoted one of its reviews to Armata tanks. It said that if the Russian Federation does throw them to the front, it will be primarily for propaganda purposes because the use of these tanks is a risk for the Russian army.
If Russia deploys the T-14, it will highly likely be for propaganda purposes. Production probably [was] only a few dozen. Commanders are unlikely to trust the machine in battle, British intelligence emphasised.
Later, British intelligence added that due to doubts about the technical condition of the latest Russian T-14 "Armata" MBTs, the Russian military hesitated to use them, although they prepared a small batch for use at the front.
On Mar. 4, the Defence Forces eliminated nine more tanks. Thus, the total losses of this enemy equipment since the beginning of the full-scale invasion amounted to 6,657 units.
