Mikkel Christensen
When the war in Ukraine is discussed, the focus is usually on human casualties. But another number tells a powerful story: the scale of Russia’s armored losses.
When the war in Ukraine is discussed, the focus is usually on human casualties. But another number tells a powerful story: the scale of Russia’s armored losses.
Before launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia was estimated to have around 2,800 to 3,300 active main battle tanks, according to the respected defense assessment The Military Balance published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Four years later, visually confirmed losses alone have surpassed that figure.
The independent open-source project Oryx, which only counts equipment losses verified through photos or video evidence, has documented more than 3,000 Russian tank losses since the invasion began. Because Oryx counts only visually confirmed cases, the real number is widely believed to be higher.
Beyond active forces
At the start of the war, Russia’s strength did not rest solely on its active tank fleet. It also had an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 tanks in storage — a vast reserve inherited from the Soviet era.
But satellite analysis reported by United24 Media suggests those depots have been steadily depleted over the course of the war. Images show large numbers of stored armored vehicles removed from long-term storage sites since 2022.
At the same time, RBC-Ukraine reports that Russia has lost around 20,000 armored vehicles overall, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy equipment.
Forces News has also reported that thousands of Russian tanks have been destroyed, with certain models suffering particularly heavy losses.
In Jun 2025, Military Watch Magazine reported that Russia produced upwards of 300 tanks in 2024, up from approx. tanks a year pre-war.
A war of attrition in steel
The figures underline that the conflict has become a war of attrition not only in manpower, but in machinery.
Russia has increased production and refurbished older Soviet-era models to offset losses. Yet the pace of destruction on the battlefield has been significant.
While human losses dominate headlines, the scale of armored losses highlights another reality: modern high-intensity warfare consumes vast quantities of equipment — and even large stockpiles can erode over time.
Sources: IISS (The Military Balance), Oryx, RBC-Ukraine, United24 Media, Forces News. Military watch magazine
