Russia will run out of tanks next year – media

Russia is losing more tanks and howitzers each month than its factories can produce, and growing economic pressure may cause some production to grind to a halt. This will lead to the fact that Russia will not have enough tanks next year. The Washington Post wrote about it on Thursday, December 5, citing American officials and experts.

US officials say the sanctions work by gradually weakening Russia’s arms production. And even “if it manages to avoid sanctions, it imposes additional costs,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. But for now, Russia is betting that large production volumes will compensate for any shortcomings in its weapons systems, but, he warns: “Quantity also has its quality.”

It has already been noted that in the case of tanks and howitzers, such “production” consists mainly of reconfiguring old Soviet equipment and stripping it for spare parts. According to the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), 85% of tanks and armored vehicles coming to the front are refurbished and recycled equipment from stockpiles. But satellite images of military equipment warehouses and dumps show that supplies are dwindling, George Barros, head of the Russia group at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told WaPo.

“Given the current rate at which the Russians are burning through these vehicles, the Russians will have a shortage of tanks by the end of 2025,” Barros said, adding that this would have significant implications for the fight against frontline.

It was previously reported that Mosfilm transferred tanks from the 1950s to the front, including T-55 and PT-76 tanks.