Alex Finnis
The UK, United States and Germany are all sending tanks to Ukraine to aid in its ongoing war with Russia.
Germany agreed to send a batch of its Leopard 2 tanks on Wednesday in a significant development. Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, had previously been resistant due to concerns that it might escalate the war.
It came after the US confirmed on Tuesday it had signed a preliminary agreement to send its M1 Abram tanks to Ukraine.
Last week, the UK pledged its Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, with Rishi Sunak hoping it would encourage Nato allies to show similar support.
In response, Russia launched a fresh missile attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning. Odesa Oblast, Governor Maksym Marchenko, warned the Russian military was “preparing to launch a massive missile attack on Ukraine with the use of aircraft and ships”.
Here’s how Russia’s arsenal of tanks compares to what has been sent to Ukraine, and how many losses Vladimir Putin’s forces have experienced.
How many tanks does Russia have?
Russia’s modern tank fleet consists of three main vehicles – T-72s, T-80s and T-90s, with the T-90s the most up to date.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it had around 3,330 operational tanks – 2,840 with its army, 330 with its naval infantry, and 160 with its air force – according to the Military Balance 2021 database, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. The database says it also had more than 10,000 in storage.
Dutch warfare research group Oryx, which has been documenting losses throughout the war, records that Russia has lost at least 1,646 of these tanks to date. This includes 967 destroyed tanks, 75 damaged, 59 abandoned and 545 captured. Of these, 44 are believed to be T-90s, of which Russia is known to have around 200.
The Conflict Intelligence Team – a monitor of Russian armed conflicts – suggests Oryx’s reports only cover around 70 per cent of losses, however, as they only include those that are fully documented.
Oryx says itself: “This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here.”
The Ukrainian military also reports a higher figure. It said that as of 1 September, it had taken out 1,997 Russian tanks – almost two thirds of its entire operational fleet.
The UK Ministry of Defence said in an update back in August: “The heavy attrition of Russian main battle tanks in Ukraine is highly likely partially due to Russia’s failure to fit and properly employ adequate explosive reactive armour (ERA).
“It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain ERA, leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely. These deficiencies probably contribute to the widespread incidents of turret ejection, which are well documented in eye-witness videos from Ukraine.
“The war has seen numerous failures by Russian commanders to enforce low-level battle discipline – such as the use of ERA. The cumulative effect of these failures is likely a significant factor behind the poor performance of Russia’s forces.”
How many tanks are being sent to Ukraine?
Between the UK, US and Germany, 59 battle tanks are being sent to Ukraine.UK is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks
US is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks
Germany is sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks
Poland has also submitted a request to Berlin to send some of its Leopard 2s to Ukraine, which will now be approved. The German-made Leopard 2 is one of the most widely used tanks across Europe. Germany must approve any decision to re-export the tanks to Ukraine from other countries.
The UK was the first to pledge tanks after the Ukrainian president’s recent appeal. The Prime Minister called the US and Germany’s decision to follow suit “the right decision by Nato allies and friends”.
“Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace,” he said.
Mr Scholz said in a statement on Wednesday: “This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely co-ordinated manner internationally.”
Washington had previously suggested it would be more productive to send German Leopards rather than its own tanks, since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the more difficult Abrams.
But there was pressure from both within the US and internationally for the administration to join the show of support for Ukraine, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell among those pressing President Joe Biden to provide more tanks and weapons to help Ukraine “win this war”.
Pledging the Abrams tanks, Mr Biden called them “the most capable” in the world.
Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Nato allies for sending the tanks, hailing it as an “important step on the path to victory”.
What are the tanks being sent?
The three tanks being sent are among the world’s strongest and most capable.
Here’s what the Ukrainian military can expect from the Challenger 2s, Leopard 2s and M1 Abrams tanks.
British Challenger 2 tanks
The Challenger 2 is a main battle tank, designed to destroy other tanks. It has been used by the British Army on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq, and has never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy, the British Army states.
Each tank weighs 62.5 tonnes and is armed with a 120mm rifled gun and a 7.62mm chain gun.
The tank was initially built in the UK by Vickers Defence Systems, now BAE Systems and Land Armaments. It was designed as a replacement to the Challenger 1 tank in 1986, and has been in service with the British Army since July 1994.
The Challenger 2 is used by four armoured regiments, based in the South West of England at Tidworth, Wiltshire, and Bovington, Dorset. The regiments are called The Queen’s Royal Hussars, The King’s Royal Hussars, The Royal Tank Regiment, and The Royal Wessex Yeomanry – the reserve regiment. Each regiment operates 56 Challenger 2 tanks and a similar number of supporting vehicles in tasks such as reconnaissance and ammunition supply.
German Leopard 2 tanks
The Leopard 2 is a German-made main battle tank that first came into service in 1979. It was originally developed by Krauss-Maffei for the former West German army. Many were sold off after German reunification.
For this reason, the tanks are widely used not only by the German military, but by Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey, as well as countries including Canada and Singapore.
The tanks were specifically designed during the Cold War as a counter to the Soviet-era tanks used by Russia.
They are manned by four people – a commander, a gunner, a loader and a driver – and are armed with a 120mm/L44 smoothbore gun that carries 42 rounds, as well as two 7.62mm machine guns and 16 smoke grenade dischargers. They weigh 55 tonnes and can reach a top speed of 45mph.
The Leopards have long been coveted by the Ukrainian president due to their manoeuvrability on the battlefield and easiness to operate and maintain.
American M1 Abrams tanks
The M1 Abrams entered service in 1980 and currently serves as the main battle tank of the United States Army. They were designed by Chrysler Defence, now known as General Dynamics Land Systems.
The tanks were first used in the Gulf War and have also seen combat in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Exported versions are used by the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Iraq.
They have a top speed of 42mph, and each boasts a 120mm XM256 smoothbore cannon, 7.62 M240 coaxial machine gun and .50 calibre M2 machine gun.
The US Army Acquisition Support Centre says: “The Abrams main battle tank destroys the enemy using mobility, firepower, and shock effect. The Abrams is a full-tracked, low-profile, land combat assault weapon enabling expeditionary warfighters to dominate their adversaries through lethal firepower, unparalleled survivability, and audacious manoeuvre.
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