Ukraine now has more tanks, thanks to Russia? Russia’s unprovoked and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, while more than 3.7 million refugees have left the country. An additional estimated 6.5 million Ukrainians have also been displaced within Ukraine, and several of the nation’s cities have taken massive damage. Even if the war were to end soon, the rebuilding efforts could take years, possibly decades.
Ukrainian resolve has remained strong, and the country has successfully resisted against overwhelming odds. As a result of those efforts, it was reported late last week that Ukraine’s army now has in its possession more tanks than it did at the start of the war a month ago.
The Russian military has lost hundreds of tanks – and according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, total Russian losses were 530 (as of March 24). Though the vast majority of those armored vehicles were destroyed, a significant number have been captured. David Axe, writing for Forbes.com and citing the open-source website Oryx, reported that as of last Friday, the Ukrainian Army had lost at least 74 tanks, captured at least 118 Russian tanks.
The Russians may have captured some 37 Ukrainian tanks, but the fact remains that Russian losses have mounted while Ukraine now has more tanks in service than it did on February 24, the day the Kremlin launched its invasion. That is without building a single new tank or pulling older armored vehicles out of storage.
Advantage Ukraine
As Axe noted, the disparity in captured tanks shows the lack of preparation for the high-intensity war against a well-prepared and determined foe, but it also highlights the advantages that a defender has in modern warfare. Ukrainian forces have the advantage of interior lines, where its forces are operating close to their bases.
Russia has faced supply shortages – and many of the Russian tanks were simply abandoned after the vehicles ran out of fuel and the crews fled.
Greatest Number of Tanks Captured Since the Great War
The Russian Army has suffered the greatest loss of tanks since the Second World War – however, total tank losses in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 likely exceeded 1,000 on both sides. Yet, Russian losses in Ukraine would exceed the roughly 500 Indian tanks that Pakistan claimed to have destroyed or captured, as well as Pakistan’s 471 tanks that India claimed to have destroyed.
In addition, the last time a nation’s tank force likely grew in size thanks to captured vehicles dates back to the First World War, when during the Western Campaign, Germany successfully captured 691 British tanks and dozens were returned to service. Dubbed “Beutepanzer” – “Captured Tank” – the German-operated tanks were painted with a new camouflage while the national cross (Iron Cross) was painted on the side. By the end of the war, as many as 35 were still operational, exceeding the 20 A7V tanks that Germany manufactured.
Throughout the Second World War, Germany also relied on captured vehicles – and now it seems that so too is Ukraine.
Now a Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military hardware, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes.
