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Russia’s Weapons Chief Calls Challenger 2 a “Cooking Pot,” Says T-90M Outperforms Abrams and Leopard

Russia’s Weapons Chief Calls Challenger 2 a “Cooking Pot,” Says T-90M Outperforms Abrams and Leopard

The head of Russia’s state defense conglomerate Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, has dismissed Western tanks as overrated, claiming that German Leopard tanks and American Abrams offer nothing of value to Russian designers—and branding the British Challenger 2 as essentially useless.

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Chemezov said that Russia has not yet had the chance to study captured British Challenger 2 tanks, but insisted, “It’s already clear that it’s a ‘cooking pot’ — not very suitable for real combat,” Russian media outlet Agenstvo reported on June 10.

A soldier gestures in front of a tank during a live fire exercise of Leopard 1A5 crews as part of combat training and combat capability restoration of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Land Forces in Ukraine, on February 5, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
A soldier gestures in front of a tank during a live fire exercise of Leopard 1A5 crews as part of combat training and combat capability restoration of the 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Land Forces in Ukraine, on February 5, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
A tank crew of the Ukrainian 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade drive a Leopard 2A4 tank during a field training exercise at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on April 30, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
A tank crew of the Ukrainian 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade drive a Leopard 2A4 tank during a field training exercise at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on April 30, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

When asked whether Russian engineers are able to extract useful technologies from captured Western vehicles, Chemezov replied, “If we come across something useful, of course, we add it to our collection.”

“Sometimes we see that it’s good equipment, but completely unusable in our context,” he stated.

Challenger 2 main battle tank is displayed for the families watching The Royal Tank Regiment Regimental Parade, on September 24, 2022, in Bulford, England. (Source: Getty Images)
Challenger 2 main battle tank is displayed for the families watching The Royal Tank Regiment Regimental Parade, on September 24, 2022, in Bulford, England. (Source: Getty Images)
A US-made M1 Abrams battle tank is carried to be displayed in an exhibition of Ukraine’s military equipment captured by Russian forces in Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine, at the Museum and Exhibition Center in the historical park of “Russia – My History” in Saint Petersburg on November 2, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)
A US-made M1 Abrams battle tank is carried to be displayed in an exhibition of Ukraine’s military equipment captured by Russian forces in Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine, at the Museum and Exhibition Center in the historical park of “Russia – My History” in Saint Petersburg on November 2, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

According to Chemezov, Russian specialists have already examined both German Leopard tanks and American Abrams but concluded there was nothing worth copying.

“The German Leopard tank is built to a high standard: modern components, fire control system, powerful engine, though with strange temperature limitations. But we didn’t see any breakthrough design solutions—there’s nothing we’d want to adopt.”

“Our specialists also looked at the American Abrams—an interesting machine overall, but again, nothing to take from it,” Chemezov said.

He added that Russia would still like to inspect the British Challenger 2 “out of curiosity,” but reiterated that it appears to be “a pot.”

Chemezov criticized Western tanks broadly for their “complex design and labor-intensive maintenance,” and argued that Russian T-90M tanks hold key advantages in “firepower, armor, and mobility.”

“It has a longer reach thanks to guided munitions and all-angle dynamic protection,” he said.

“There have been cases where the vehicle took hits from dozens of Ukrainian drones and remained combat-ready,” Chemezov claimed.

The Rostec chief also took aim at the American M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), calling praise for it “unjustified hype.”

“We looked at it from different angles—it has some advantages in protection and troop comfort. But that doesn’t stop our weapons from destroying the Bradley with its crew and infantry inside,” he said.

He identified mobility as Bradley’s main weakness, arguing that poor off-road performance makes it an easy target. “What’s the point of improved protection if the result is the same?” he added.

Chemezov said that Russian IFVs outperform American ones because they are faster, more maneuverable, and capable of swimming across rivers without bridges or roads — a feature he claims US vehicles lack.

“Almost all the Bradleys delivered to Ukraine have already been destroyed. People forget: an IFV is not a tank. It needs to be fast, mobile, and able to cross water obstacles. Ours can do that. The American ones can’t,” he asserted.

Russian T-90M main battle tank. (Source: Wikimedia)
Russian T-90M main battle tank. (Source: Wikimedia)

Despite Chemezov’s claims, open-source intelligence from the Oryx project indicates that Russia has lost 4,041 tanks since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — including 137 of its most advanced T-90M tanks.

By comparison, Ukraine has lost 1,198 tanks, including 27 Leopard 2s, 18 Leopard 1s, 22 Abrams, and just 2 Challenger 2s.

In January 2024, two American M2 Bradleys reportedly bested a T-90M in one engagement, while a single Bradley knocked out three Russian BMP-2s in another — highlighting the very battlefield effectiveness that Chemezov downplays.

Earlier, Ukrainian drones destroyed a T-90M tank worth $4.5 million and damaged another one, likely T-72B3.

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