Russia Is Using “Vintage” Tanks In Kherson – Photographs shared on social media reveal how Russian forces are still being forced to use aging tanks on the battlefield, suggesting that Russia is still struggling to replace modern tanks and military equipment lost in the war in Ukraine.
#Ukraine: Another vintage Russian T-62M tank was found in #Kherson Oblast by Ukrainian forces. pic.twitter.com/PEPRDvuCSi
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) November 20, 2022
Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular Twitter account that tracks the war in Ukraine, focusing specifically on the use and capture of weaponry, shared photographs of an aging Russian T-62M tank that was reportedly found in Kherson Oblast.
“#Ukraine: Another vintage Russian T-62M tank was found in #Kherson Oblast by Ukrainian forces,” the account wrote on November 20 in a post that included a photograph of the tank emblazoned with the Russian “Z” symbol on the side.
The T-62M is a Soviet main battle tank introduced in 1961 – and while there have been variants of the tank introduced over the last sixty years, many of those seen on the battlefield in Ukraine have not had sufficient upgrades to protect them against more modern ammunition and missile technology.
It means that the tanks are particularly vulnerable to the NATO-standard missile systems, including HIMARS, gifted to Ukraine by the United States and other western countries.
Similar photographs have been shared in recent weeks in Kherson, as Russian forces withdrew from the “annexed” region and left behind damaged equipment – and even in some cases, perfectly usable equipment.
In another post from November 9, the same war tracker account showed a photograph of a T-62M tank in Kherson Oblast, also emblazoned with the Z symbol, with a Ukrainian soldier standing in front of the weapon raising a firearm into the air.
“A Russian T-62M [Cope Cage Edition] was captured by Ukrainian forces in Kalynivske, #Kherson Oblast,” Ukraine War Tracker writes.
T-62M Destroyed In Kherson
A video from October also shows how the T-62M tanks were in active use, with one such tank being destroyed by a Ukrainian artillery strike.
The video shows the tank hidden in between residential buildings, with a large explosion causing huge plumes of smoke.
After the dust settles, the tank can be seen between the two destroyed buildings in a state of disrepair.
Location: Kalynivs’ke (Калинівське), Kherson Oblast 47.114889, 32.96960 https://t.co/2UX2mr8qfu @GeoConfirmed
The larger building is labeled as synagogue in Google Maps.
“A Russian T-62M tank was destroyed by a Ukrainian Artillery strike” pic.twitter.com/0wfeQFfkpu— blinzka (@blinzka) October 25, 2022
The user noted that the larger building seen in the video on the left appears to be a Synagogue, according to Google Maps.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
