Investigators could not confirm that the tanks were sent to fight on the Ukrainian front. Both Russia, which occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, and Ukraine have shortages of arms and ammunition, and rely on large stocks of old weapons.
But the T-54 series tanks would be especially old and their use would signal trouble for Russia as Ukraine is now awaiting deliveries of Leopard battle tanks from European supporters and M1 Abrams tanks from the United States.
T-54s were adopted by the Soviet Army in the mid-1940s when leader Joseph Stalin was in power. The T-55 series entered service in 1958.
This is not the first case when Russia resorts to old tanks. Last year, an elite Russian unit was found to be using T-62 tanks in Ukraine, Soviet-era tanks that were introduced in 1961. But the CWI report noted that this is the first recorded instance of T-54 tanks. and T-55. being taken out of storage.
“Even an outdated tank is more useful than no tank at all,” the report stated. “But we consider the lack of rangefinders and ballistic computers (not to mention fire control systems) to be the key drawbacks of this series, as well as primitive sights and an inferior weapon stabilization system.”
The Institute for the Study of War wrote in an evaluation on Wednesday that the deployment of such inferior equipment could lead to a higher number of casualties.
“After all, every tank loss is the loss of the tank and tank crew, and it is not clear how effective these tanks will be against Ukrainian armored vehicles,” ISW said. “They are very vulnerable to many anti-tank systems available to Ukraine.”
ISW added that the Soviet Union produced tens of thousands of T-54/55 tanks after World War II, and that Moscow may be turning to them to address shortages.
“Russian armored vehicle losses are currently restricting the ability of the Russian military to conduct effective mechanized maneuver warfare,” ISW wrote. “Russian forces may be deploying T-54/55 tanks stored in Ukraine to augment these offensive operations and prepare for anticipated mechanized Ukrainian counteroffensives.”
Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted Wednesday that the deployment of the T-54/55 tanks showed “the Kremlin’s determination to continue the war more or less forever.”
The CIT photos follow mounting evidence that Russia is experiencing serious supply problems, with dozens of recruits recording videos in recent weeks telling President Vladimir Putin about a shortage of weapons and ammunition. Several recruits said they were given World War II-era weapons, as well as rusty Kalashnikovs.
“It is difficult for us to determine the possible uses of these tanks,” CIT wrote in its report, noting that Russia was also mobilizing armored personnel carriers and other vehicles from the 1950s and 1970s. “This clearly indicates serious problems with the supply of military vehicles”.
Western intelligence has also reported that Moscow’s tank losses are mounting. In February, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, estimated that Russia had probably lost more than 2,000 tanks in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Oryx, an independent team of analysts that has scoured open-source intelligence on equipment losses, My dear that more than 1,700 Russian tanks have been destroyed, damaged or captured. According to the group, this is more than half of the operational tanks believed to be in Russia’s possession at the start of its invasion in February 2022. Ukraine, by comparison, has lost around 500 tanks, according to Oryx.
