Russia Passes 2,000 Confirmed Vehicle & Equipment Losses
The 33rd day of the War in Ukraine saw the armed forces of the Russian Federation pass a milestone which few anticipated. Despite some initial successes during the first week of the offensive, Russia’s “special military operation” has since been bogged down in the Ukrainian countryside. Videos of Russian columns immobilized by lack of fuel were widely shared but Russian losses have continued. While both sides have taken considerable losses the Russian Army is certainly leading the “contest”.
An independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) blog, Oryx, has been gathering images and footage of losses on both sides of the conflict. Each of the losses (either capture of destruction) is documented and visually confirmed as unique in order to avoid confusion and errors. We have been sharing Oryx’s running tally of losses on our live update pages. Today, Oryx announced that they have confirmed Russia’s 2000th vehicle/equipment loss. Since 24 February, Russia lost 316 tanks, 231 AFVs, 305 IFVs, 79 APCs, 60 SPGs, 17 airplanes, and 35 helicopters, among other losses. These include modern equipment like T-90As and modern IFVs.
The significance of these losses can only be speculated on, however, the Russian army began its offensive with an estimated number of 1,300 main battle tanks gathered around the Ukrainian border. It means that about 27% of pre-staged MBTs have been lost. The damage inflicted upon Russian combat units is not uniform and it is worth noting that various tactical formations suffered heavier casualties than the others (especially the famous VDV formations that have been repeatedly thrown into the hottest parts of the fighting). As of late March, the situation on the frontline appears to have begun to stabilize, which could mean that the Russian troops have begun the condiserable task of reorganizing and replenishing following their losses.
By contrast Ukraine has lost 574 vehicles and assets, including 79 tanks, 60 armored fighting vehicles, 21 air defense systems, 13 naval vessels 13 aircraft and nearly 180 other assorted vehicles. It has to be remembered that Ukraine had fewer resources to draw on than Russia so their confirmed losses are still considerable.
Russian losses in the field continue with a concerning situation developing within the 1st Guards Tanks Army area of responsibility. In the latest 48 hours, Ukrainian troops have reportedly pushed towards Sumy from the South capturing the town of Trostyanets, in eastern Ukraine.