Yuri Kobzar21:40, 21.03.25

The T-72 tank was the mainstay of the Russian army for the past few decades, until last year.

The Russian army is likely running out of T-72 tanks , which previously formed the basis of the Russian Armed Forces’ tank fleet. This is evidenced by combat loss statistics provided by OSINT researcher Richard Vereker.

“Russian tank losses show an unusual pattern,” he writes in his blog on the X platform .

Vereker noted that in recent months, T-72 losses have begun to decline rapidly and by March had fallen to almost zero. Currently, two-thirds of Russian tank losses are due to the T-80, which ceased mass production in 1996. Another quarter of losses are due to the T-62, which was produced until 1975. And only in third place in terms of the number of losses is the newest tank used in combat, the T-90.

Noting the progressive trend towards a reduction in the total number of tanks lost by the Russians, Vereker asks the question: where did the T-72s go?

Analyzing the losses of various T-72 modifications – from the oldest to the most recent upgrades – the analyst notes that the ratio of losses between them has not changed in recent months. In his opinion, this means that “new” T-72s (in other words, those removed from storage and those that have undergone modernization of the machine) are no longer arriving at the front in significant quantities.

Responding to comments from subscribers, the analyst expressed doubt that the Russians could, for some reason, withdraw units equipped with T-72 tanks from the front.

(c)UNIAN 2025