"The Russian army has lost too many tanks in its recent suicidal frontal assault in the war in Ukraine, which is far more than the Russian army can be resupplied and replaced, even by the most optimistic estimates". Forbes concludes that this means that the Russians may be running out of tanks.
It is estimated that the Russian army rushed into Ukraine with 2,987 tanks when it declared war in February 2022. During the 23 months of fierce fighting, at least 2619 vehicles were lost. Of these, 1,725 were destroyed, 145 were maimed, 205 were abandoned, and 544 were captured, including T-55, T-62, T-72, T-80, and T-90. ”。
The Kremlin claims that in 2023 the army received 1500 new or refurbished, upgraded tanks thanks to the efforts of the military-industrial complex. Taking into account the 600 claimed to have received in 2022, Russia now has less than 2,400 battle tanks at most.
However, Forbes believes that the Russian army has actually replenished much fewer tanks, "because Russia does not produce as many new and modern tanks as the Kremlin claims." The results of the analysis of the French intelligence organization ARI are even more striking: the newspaper reports that the Russian military-industrial complex is capable of producing only 390 tanks per year!
This means that in 2022 and 2023, the Russian army will only be able to replenish 780 tanks. If this is true, then the Russian Armed Forces have only about 1,180 battle tanks. And a little more than the tanks that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have now.
In addition to tanks, Russia also has a large head for infantry fighting vehicles. The Ukrainian side estimates that the Russian army may run out of infantry fighting vehicles within two or three years. According to reports, the Russian army is now losing as many IFV tanks as the Russian-military-industrial complex of new and refurbished tanks, and soon Ukraine will destroy more than the Russian army can replenish it.