How Has Ukraine Destroyed Nearly 10,000 Russian Tanks? The Answer: Drones

In Russia’s Kursk region, a column of 50 tanks and armored vehicles advanced toward Ukrainian positions. They were met with artillery fire and drones. The offensive failed, leaving the equipment destroyed.

Forbes recently reported that, in some sectors of the front, Ukrainian forces now have a tank advantage. This success is due to trained combat teams equipped with various drones capable of mining terrain or directly striking armored vehicles. As a result, Russian tanks have become vulnerable. Many fail to even reach the front lines, forced instead to operate from the rear as makeshift, imprecise artillery.

During nearly three years of its full-scale war against Ukraine, Russia has lost over 9,760 tanks, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. Independent estimates by Oryx are lower but still staggering—3,690 tanks. No European army possesses such numbers, and very few worldwide can deploy so many tanks. Ukrainian losses, by comparison, are several times smaller.

Facing these losses, Russia has resorted to refurbishing old stockpiles, even deploying antiquated T-55 tanks first introduced in 1958, and sometimes even older models. Enormous reserves in Siberia have become a patchwork donor base, with mechanics cobbling together functional tanks from multiple derelict ones. Combined with intensive production efforts, Russia has managed to deliver up to 100 tanks per month to the front lines. However, even this pace fails to provide a decisive advantage.

The reason? Drones.

An industry that didn’t exist

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, fewer than 10 companies in Ukraine produced drones, primarily for reconnaissance. The war changed everything. Ukrainian forces urgently needed mass-produced tools to counter a numerically superior enemy.

The first widely used solution was the Mavic drone: a commercially available, easy-to-operate device suited for reconnaissance and costing just $1,000–2,000—a fraction of the price of military hardware. Ukrainian soldiers quickly learned to weaponize these drones by equipping them to drop munitions. This innovation reshaped the battlefield.

It became evident that a simple drone could destroy military equipment worth over a million dollars—a staggering cost-effectiveness ratio. The introduction of FPV (first-person view) drones made them even more lethal. These drones were harder to control, prompting the establishment of a comprehensive training infrastructure, including schools and pilot training centers.

To flood the market with FPV drones, Ukraine implemented laws simplifying the import of necessary components and fostering a competitive environment. Over two years, amateur-built FPV drones evolved into a billion-dollar industry, encompassing hundreds of companies ranging from small garage workshops to large-scale manufacturers capable of producing tens of thousands of units monthly.

In 2024, Ukraine produced 1.4 million drones of various types—FPV, reconnaissance, strike drones, and others. The country’s production capacity could reach 4 million units annually, pending sufficient funding.

To streamline operations, Ukraine became the first nation to establish the Unmanned Systems Forces, a new branch of the military encompassing aerial, maritime, and robotic drones. Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of this new force, discussed its role in detail.

Drones have enabled Ukraine to neutralize Russia’s advantage in armored vehicles, particularly tanks. With a $500–$700 drone, a Ukrainian soldier can destroy a $2.5 million tank and hold their position. Even if three to five drones are needed, the cost remains favorable—especially given Ukraine’s limited hardware. At the outset of the invasion, Ukraine had 10 times fewer vehicles of nearly every type than Russia, and even international aid has not achieved parity. While drones may not be a war “game-changer,” they have proven an effective tool of deterrence.

Industry expansion

Ukraine’s drone industry continues to expand, targeting multiple objectives simultaneously. For instance, Ukrainian engineers have developed drones capable of shooting down Russian reconnaissance UAVs, depriving Russian forces of “eyes” on the battlefield and hindering their ability to gather real-time intelligence.

Another groundbreaking development involves FPV drones equipped with fiber-optic guidance systems. Immune to Russian electronic warfare, these drones can strike targets several kilometers away. Fiber optics are inexpensive, ensuring the cost-effectiveness of destroying enemy tanks remains high.

Efforts are also underway to enhance the efficiency of fire-support units using drones. A new system rewards soldiers with points for destroying Russian soldiers or equipment. These points can be redeemed for additional drones. This initiative aims to increase the effectiveness of Ukraine’s strike units while minimizing the use of manpower on the battlefield.

A remarkable transformation

In just three years, Ukraine has built an entire industry capable of grinding down Russia’s vast tank reserves. Entire storage depots—once mythologized as containing endless rows of vehicles capable of global domination—have been decimated. According to OSINT communities, many of these depots are now either empty or hold only equipment too damaged to repair.

Thousands of tanks, once the Kremlin’s symbol of military might, have been destroyed by $500 FPV drones.