Russia, relying on antiquated tactics that had military experts questioning whether tanks have a place in modern warfare, has as of last week lost more than 1,900 tanks - including more than 500 captured - and more than 2,000 fighting vehicles, according to Oryx, a blog that tracks Russian armored losses through visual confirmation from open sources. Backed by artillery, drone and air support, they will probably take the lead in punching through enemy lines.īy most accounts, those lines are much-depleted. He expects Western tanks to be a combat multiplier. He and the rest of the T-64’s crew, along with their comrades in other armored brigades, are impatiently waiting for the arrival of more modern tanks promised by Ukraine’s allies in the West - equipment the country says it needs as the spearhead of its spring counteroffensive. It’s an old Mercedes,” said a rather bored-looking Oleg, who gave only his first name in accordance with Ukrainian military policy. “Driving one of these is like driving an old car. Its ancient optics mean the crew can’t fight at night. Its engine needs at least 20 minutes to warm up from a cold start, and for every day of hard combat, it needs a day of maintenance. The tank, a T-64 made in 1983, is older than he is - a relic of Ukraine’s Soviet past. A sardonic 25-year-old, he’s been serving as a driver around the front lines of the war in eastern Ukraine since almost the beginning of Russia’s invasion last year.īut the novelty is long gone. There had been a time when Oleg was excited to get behind the wheel of the tank.
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