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Russia Struggles to Replace 4,000 Lost Tanks as Tank Revival Slows by 4-Fold

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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Russia Struggles to Replace 4,000 Lost Tanks as Tank Revival Slows by 4-Fold
A -80 tank from the 80th Air assault brigade, fires while training in the direction of Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, on July 20, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

Based on satellite images of storage bases and repair factories, researchers concluded that the pace of Russian tank restoration has slowed by 3.5 to 4 times compared to 2022, making it insufficient to replace battlefield losses.

Researchers from the Resurgam platform and the Military Herald reported that by February 2025, 2,069 tanks were removed from open-type storage bases, and another 2,000 tanks from closed storage hangars. Between 2022 and 2025, over 4,000 tanks in the best condition were decommissioned, accounting for 54% of all vehicles that could be restored.

However, from February 2024 to February 2025, only 342 tanks were decommissioned, showing a sharp slowdown.

As of early 2025, 3,463 tanks remain in storage, signaling a depletion of easily restorable vehicles. Another 1,253 tanks are at armored vehicle factories, but the pace of decommissioning has fallen behind the pace of repairs. Around 4,700 tanks remain in storage, but most are in poor condition and may be used for parts. Notably, 650 T-64 tanks are unlikely to return to service.

For the first time, dismantling of “tank graveyards ” was observed, confirming the depletion of combat-ready machines. Researchers estimate only about 1,200 tanks are still relatively easy to restore.

By early 2025, tank production had dropped to 30-35 per month, with expectations for further decreases in the second half of the year due to a shortage of T-80 tanks. From 2022 to 2024, Russia produced just 164 T-90M tanks—far too few to replace losses, researches concluded.

Consequently, Russia has increasingly used civilian vehicles for assaults. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the number of destroyed Russian vehicles rose from 1,000 per month in mid-2024 to 3,000 by year-end, attributed to Ukrainian drone development and a reduction in Russian armored vehicles.

Earlier, it was reported that the damage caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities over the past six months is estimated at approximately 60 billion rubles (around $711 million).

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"Tank graveyards" refer to locations where decommissioned or damaged tanks are stored, often in large quantities, typically due to their inability to be repaired or restored. These tanks are essentially abandoned and left to decay, often in vast open areas or storage facilities.