TANKS IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

Abstract

The Russo Ukrainian war, after the initial Russian advance following the invasion in February 2022, has turned into a stalemate characterised by grinding trench and urban warfare which in some instances has been compared to WWI. Despite the relative absence of fluid operations by massed mechanised formations, armoured vehicles and tanks in particular have been intensely employed by both opponents, resulting in heavy losses. When properly used in combination with other arms, tanks have been a key factor on the battlefield. During the first year of hostilities the Russian army often suffered from a tactical mishandling of their armoured units, leading to disproportionate losses of tanks and other AFVs compared to their opponent. The great majority of the tanks employed in Ukraine so far are upgraded late Cold War models, even if deliveries by NATO countries have introduced modern Western models into the Ukrainian arsenal. The aim of this article is to give a summary of the key characteristics of the main MBTs employed in Ukraine and to provide a brief analysis of their role and impact.