Russia using relic tanks, motorcycles, ATVs to attack Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks his country's T-90M main battle tank is the best in the world. So, he's probably a little irked Ukraine has destroyed at least 100 of them so far during the war.

According to an analysis of open-source materials — information and data posted online for everyone to see — no fewer than 100 T-90Ms were either abandoned by Russian soldiers, captured by Ukrainians or outright destroyed since the start of the war.

There's no shortage of videos online showing small drones taking out the $4.5 million tanks. U.S.-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are also making quick work of all sorts of Russian tanks, including T-90Ms.

Estimates vary widely on just how many tanks Russia had before the war started, but it’s somewhere between 7,000 and 17,000. Most of those tanks weren’t in active service and many were stored outside. In 2022, Russia had an estimated 200 T-90s, but not all had been upgraded to the M variation yet.

After the war kicked off, Russia increased T-90M production but only has the capacity to produce the tank in small batches — between 10 to 15 a month. So, the fact that 100 T-90Ms are now destroyed, captured or abandoned means it’ll take about a year to replace them at current production levels.

Perhaps that’s why Russia is rushing more war relics to the front lines in Ukraine. Video recently posted to Russian social media showed a train loaded with Russian T-54s, a model first developed in the 1940s.

Russia started using the World War II-era tanks in 2023, predominantly in a mobile artillery or indirect fire role. But the lack of available armor at the front lines is forcing the world’s second-largest army to reach further into its aging stockpiles.

The lack of armor is also forcing Russia to seek out alternative means of attack. Lately, that’s meant motorcycle and ATV assaults .

Motorcycles and ATVs can and do have a part to play in warfare, but it usually doesn’t include charging head-on into a wall of artillery and drone strikes.

Images posted to social media accounts in Russia and Ukraine show Russian soldiers trying to adapt their new tactics by putting cope cages on the motorcycles and ATVs. But the results aren’t much better, as can clearly be observed. Still, Russia is doubling down on the tactic and is reportedly fielding motorcycle platoons now.

Aside from armored vehicles, Russia is regularly losing its air defense systems to Ukrainian attacks as well. The stepped-up strikes on Russian radar sites and air-defense missile launchers are likely Ukraine’s way of setting the battle space for the arrival of F-16s in summer or early fall.

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