Even the newest iterations of the T-90 have struggled against Ukraine’s stockpile of Western-delivered anti-tank weaponry.
When it comes to Russia’s arsenal losses, its main battle tank (MBT) platforms have taken a real beating. Since the invasion commenced back in early 2022, Moscow has deployed all of its armored vehicle assets to the frontlines. From World War II-era relics and Soviet-era tanks to more modern successors, Russian officials have really pulled from storage in order to maintain an MBT fleet for Moscow’s offensive efforts. Although exact figures and specs regarding Russia’s MBT losses are unknown as the war is active and details are difficult to confirm, open-source intelligence trackers estimate that Moscow has likely lost around 3,000 of its armored vehicles in the last year alone.
Earlier this year, Russia’s Uralvagonzabod delivered new batches of upgraded T-90M tanks to the Russian army to help replenish some of these losses. While maintaining a larger MBT fleet will be important for the Kremlin’s sustained offensive efforts, the T-90 does not have the best performance record.
Introducing the T-90
The T-90 is a third-generation MBT born out of a Soviet-era program tasked with creating the successor for the T-72. While work surrounding the T-90 began under the USSR, the tank itself did not enter the production pipeline until the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. When the T-90 reached operational capacity with the Russian army, it featured several improved capabilities that made it superior to earlier variants. From composite armor materials and reactive armor to smoke grenades and a 125mm smoothbore main gun, the T-90 is well equipped.
The newest T-90 iteration can fire the 9M119 Refleks anti-tank guided missile system, which is “intended to engage tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor (ERA), as well as low-flying air targets, such as helicopters, at a range of up to 5km,” according to Army Technology. While this Russian platform appears formidable on paper, when combat-tested, the tank platform simply does not meet expectations. Even the newest iterations of the T-90 have struggled against Ukraine’s stockpile of Western-delivered anti-tank weaponry.
Back in 2023, Russia’s state-run news outlet TASS reported that President Vladimir Putin boasted about the T-90’s capabilities. According to TASS, Putin claimed that “now we (the Kremlin) can say that the T-90 is the best tank in the world—once it’s in position, that’s it.” However, open-source intelligence tracker Oryx has put forth numbers that suggest otherwise. Oryx’s detailed analysis of Russian military losses indicates that its forces have lost more than 3,200 tanks. Over the last few years, footage depicting the destruction of T-90 MBTs has circulated widely on social media. Just one of these instances was captured on Telegram. In the post, several Ukrainian-launched attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within Kyiv’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade appear to take out a T-90. As seen in the footage, these drones hit the top of the tank’s turret and damaged part of its guidance system. While the video has yet to be verified, the T-90 MBT is undoubtedly vulnerable to drone attacks.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: AnBoris / Shutterstock.com
