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The lack of modern armor forces Russian forces to refurpbish 50-year-old tanks.
Newly surfaced footage indicates a renewed Russian effort to refurbish legacy tanks amid signs that more modern reserves may be thinning.
According to Militarnyi, video released earlier in the week shows T-72A tanks undergoing upgrades at Uralvagonzavod, Russia’s main tank producer.
The footage was shared by armored vehicle researcher Andrii Tarasenko on his Telegram channel.
The outlet reports that the tanks are being fitted with Relikt explosive reactive armor on their turrets. Protective modules are also being installed in place of the standard external fuel tanks along the side skirts.
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Questions over capacity
Tarasenko questioned how long Russia could rely on older models.
“But if UVZ can still hold out through 2026 and 2027 on the ‘ancient’ T-72A tanks, then Omsk will already exhaust its stocks of Soviet T-80B (BV) in 2026. Is Russia currently capable of organizing mass production of new tanks?”
Militarnyi wrote that while Uralvagonzavod may continue upgrading T-72A tanks for several more years, the Omsk facility could run out of T-80B and T-80BV reserves as early as 2026.
Analysis cited by the publication from Frontelligence Insight suggests that by autumn 2025, Moscow planned to modernize more than 800 T-72 tanks to the T-72B3M standard over a decade.
Modernization drive
Documents from Uralvagonzavod reviewed by analysts indicate that 828 T-72 tanks are scheduled for overhaul to the T-72B3M configuration by 2036. Output is expected to peak around 2028, with 498 units projected for repair or upgrade between 2027 and 2029.
Separately, images shared by OSINT analyst The Dead District on X appeared to show a Soviet-era PTS-2 amphibious transporter adapted for assault use. The unarmored vehicle was fitted with a metal lattice over its cargo bay, rubber sheeting on parts of the hull, and exposed wiring believed to serve as improvised protection against FPV drones.
Introduced in 1973 and built on the T-64 chassis, the PTS-2 was originally designed for logistics and amphibious transport rather than frontline combat.
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Sources: Militarnyi, Frontelligence Insight, The Dead District on X, United24Media
