Russia falls back on 1970s t-72a tanks as newer reserves run dry; losses reached 100 tanks per month

At Russian storage and repair bases, tanks of this type suitable for restoration have effectively been depleted. Since the second half of 2025, Uralvagonzavod has not delivered a single refurbished T-72B from long-term storage, says military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko. The tanks that have reached the troops were either previously modernized units or heavily damaged vehicles repaired directly at the plant. There is no comprehensive modernization program for the T-72A. Only limited concepts are being considered, including conversion into support vehicles or experimental platforms that have not been fully implemented. The expert says that during battlefield recovery, tank turrets are often removed from damaged vehicles. It is possible that more heavily protected T-72B turrets could be mounted onto T-72A According to Kovalenko, with current losses estimated at around 100 tanks per month, existing refurbishment rates may prove insufficient even if the intensity of armored warfare declines. Experts note that Uralvagonzavod is increasingly shifting from a manufacturer of new equipment to a facility focused on restoring obsolete platforms. Within a year to a year and a half, the plant could become a rudimentary element of Russia's tank industry, similar to what has happened to Omsk Transmash, one analyst said. In hard fighting, the Russians have lost around 1,800 of those T-72s, most destroyed, others heavily damaged, abandoned or captured. It's only slightly exaggerating to say the Russian military has lost every T-72 it had before the wider war. It's trying to make good those losses. But output of new tanks at the sanctions-squeezed Uralvagonzavod factory, on the slope of the Ural Mountains, may have collapsed this year, potentially meaning just a trickle of the brand new T-72B3MS. Undeterred, the Kremlin has an ambition plan to produce another 828 T-72B3MS through 2036. And it's obvious how it plans to produce them. It aims to restore practically every single 50-year-old T-72A and T-72 be left in storage at Russia's vast, but rapidly emptying, network of vehicle storage yards. Militarny sites analysis from Fronteligence Insight indicating that as of autumn 2025, Russia planned to overhaul and modernize more than 800 T-72 tanks to the T-72B3M standard over a 10-year period. The figure reportedly aligns with number of T-72 tanks remaining in storage and at armored repair facilities. According to documentation from Uralvagonzavod reviewed by analysts, Russia intends to complete capital repairs and upgrades on 828 T-72 tanks to the T-72B3M configuration by 2036. Production is expected to peak around 2028. Between 2027 and 2029 alone, 498 T-72B3M tanks are projected to be repaired or upgraded. Earlier, the investigation found that European equipment for Russia's military-industrial complex continues to operate despite sanctions. The Czech industrial group Alta formally announced its withdrawal from the Russian market after the start of the full-scale war, but it still helps Russia's war machine. This includes machine tools and technical maintenance for Uralvagonzavod and the Motovilka plants. Despite the active use of drones and electronic warfare systems, Russian troops continue to struggle to cross the Oskol River in the Kharkiv-Rivgen. As Forbes columnist Vikram Mittal notes, these technologies alone cannot overcome the fundamental challenges of such operations. Crossing the Oskol remains one of the most challenging tasks in modern warfare, requiring coordination, speed, and reliable cover. Even with the availability of drones providing reconnaissance and fire adjustment, as well as electronic warfare systems designed to suppress enemy communications, the key challenges remain, the author writes. Russian forces are attempting to use drones to scout Ukrainian positions and coordinate attacks, as well as to support crossings. However, the very nature of such operations makes them extremely vulnerable. When crossing a water obstacle, units are concentrated and limited in maneuver, making them an easy target, the analyst emphasizes. Ukrainian forces, for their part, are actively using drones for surveillance and strikes against the enemy. This allows them to quickly detect crossing attempts and carry out targeted strikes. As a result, even small groups of Russians attempting to gain a foothold on the opposite bank find themselves under constant air pressure, the expert notes. An additional challenge is the need to maintain a bridgehead after crossing the river. Even if individual units manage to cross the Oskol, consolidating and exploiting their success proves significantly more difficult. Without stable supply and support lines, such positions quickly become vulnerable, the article notes. The situation around Kupyansk highlights this dynamic. The area remains a key area of military action, and control of the Oskol River is strategically important. Russia's attempts to advance westward directly depend on its ability to overcome this water barrier, the article states. However, even taking into account technological advances, including the widespread use of drones, such operations still require classic military capabilities, engineering units, coordination, and protection. It is precisely this shortage, according to the author, that limits the potential of Russian troops. Ultimately, the use of drones and electronic warfare systems may facilitate certain elements of the operation, but does not solve the key task. River crossings remain a complex and risky process, in which technological advantages do not replace the fundamental principles of warfare, the author concluded. In this case, Russian forces struck the Pechenegi Reservoir with guided aerial bombs. Footage of the strike later emerged, and Russia began spreading fake reports about its consequences, according to a statement from the 16th Armed Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is noted that four guided aerial bombs hit the ground near hydraulic structures, while two others struck the water. Ukrainian defenders also emphasized the particular cynicism of the occupiers. In particular, the enemy is trying to exploit the moment when the reservoir reaches its maximum water level due to the spring flood. Destroying the dam right now, during the period of high water, would have led to catastrophic consequences for communities downstream, causing large-scale flooding and an environmental disaster, the statement said. Since the Russian forces failed to achieve any physical success, they have shifted to an information psychological attack. In so-called pseudo-Harkiv social media channels controlled by the aggressor state, fake reports are being spread about damage to the dam and alleged emergency water discharge. In reality, the dam is not damaged. Water discharge is being carried out in a planned and controlled mode. The situation is fully being monitored, taking into account the experience of previous insidious attacks. Rapid response plans for any emergency situations were developed in advance, the statement said.