Ukraine’s Latest Tank: Russia’s T-90? The upgraded T-90M MBT is now considered among the best Russian tanks in service today – and while T-90s were widely exported in recent years, one country that never purchased any was Ukraine. However, around a dozen T-90s are now in service with the Ukrainian military, having been captured by fleeing Russian forces.
How Did Ukraine Get T-90 Tanks?
“Thanks to the generosity of the russian federation, the first batch of new T-90A tanks entered into service with #UAarmy. Particularly generous because at the same time the ruscists are launching a program to restore 60-year-old T-62 tanks for their own armed forces,” the official social media account of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (DefenceU) announced via a tweet on Thursday.
Though it entered service with the Russian military after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the T-90 third-generation main battle tank (MBT) had its origins in the former Soviet Union, where it was developed as a replacement for the T-62, T-72, and T-80 series of tanks. Low-level production began in 1992, yet ceased by the late 1990s for the domestic market.
Around 120 T-90 tanks had been delivered to the Russian Ground Forces before production of an upgraded version was resumed in 2004.
Thanks, Moscow, for the T-90
Even as Ukraine has announced that it is now deploying its captured T-90s to the frontlines, Russia has continued to face numerous setbacks. According to the open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, Russia has lost more than 7,000 vehicles and other forms of heavy weaponry – including artillery and missile systems – since the Kremlin launched its unprovoked invasion in late February. That includes Russian equipment that’s been destroyed, damaged, captured, or abandoned.
To date, Russia has lost more than 1,320 tanks – including some 500 that were captured/abandoned, while Ukrainian forces have captured nearly 30 T-90A and T-90M MBTs.
It is unlikely those tanks will make the difference between victory and defeat, yet, it is worth noting that Russia’s losses have been so great that Moscow has continued to employ far older vehicles.
Send in the T-62
As previously reported, Russia is now modifying 800 T-62 MBTs for the war in Ukraine, and it speaks of the desperate situation the Kremlin finds itself in, as it increasingly relies on such antiquated hardware.
The T-62 was developed as an improved variant of the T-55 series and was first introduced in 1961. It may have been a capable tank for the Cold War, and many of its design features became standardized in subsequent Soviet and Russian mass-produced tanks – yet, the vehicles are likely older than many of the crews, and possibly even their parents. Moscow certainly has significant numbers of the T-62 – as more than 22,000 were produced between 1962 and 1975. While not modern, as it is running low on more modern vehicles, desperate times do call for desperate measures.
Valuable Insight from T-90?
Beyond the fact that a few dozen tanks could aid Ukraine’s war efforts, the captured tanks could even provide Western analysts with crucial details of Russia’s military technology. As The Economist had reported, seizing such a weapon in wartime can provide valuable insight into the state of an enemy’s capabilities.
It is also a sign of how the times have changed.
During the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) offered $5,000 to any Afghan fighter who could provide a captured AK-74 assault rifle, while far greater efforts were taken to inspect a Soviet T-72. However, it wasn’t until 1987 that a rogue Romanian arms dealer sold one to American agents under the guise that it was scrap metal that the west was able to see that MBT up close – by which time it was already being replaced by more modern vehicles.

Russian T-90 Tank Firing. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Now, the CIA doesn’t need to employ such efforts – it just needed a few Russian crews to abandon their tanks!
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

Gary Jacobs
October 14, 2022 at 12:55 pm
The Russians have also been reduced to using WWII era artillery pieces in some places. And they are digging a trench system in the east near Bakhmut that looks like it will hold up about as well as the Maginot Line.
The Putinista trolls that frequent this site would do well to prepare themselves for another round of Russian territorial losses in Ukraine coming soon. Some in the western defense establishment have said that Kherson could fall as fast as a week. That sounds overly optimistic. However, Russian leaders in the area have begun to evacuate civilians in advance of their expectation of urban combat.
Side note on sharing of captured Russian equipment: Israel lent a Soviet MiG-21 to the US during the midst of the Cold War, studying and training against it helped turn the dogfight kill ratio in Vietnam much more in favor of the US. Israel obtained the aircraft after the Mossad arranged for a captain [who happened to be Christian] in the Iraqi air force to defect and land it at a base in northern Israel in August 1966.
According to documents compiled and edited by a Jeffrey T. Richelson at the National Security Archive, Israel then loaned the plane to the US Air Force from January 1968 to April 1968.
The intelligence that can be gleaned by captured equipment saves lives. Ukraine has captured a wide array of Russian gear. Especially notable is some of the electronic warfare units.
Jacksonian Libertarian
October 14, 2022 at 2:29 pm
This used to happen in the age of sail, when enemy ships would be taken as prizes, and bought into service.
This is only possible now because Ukraine is experienced in common Soviet era user interfaces, which Russia hasn’t changed much. Western troops likely can’t even read the labels (backwards K’s confuse me, they said), and having to arm themselves with Russian junk would be shameful logistical failure.
There’s a reason just giving Ukrainians western weapons is hard, with no experience even idiot proofed weapons can be mishandled.