Russia is preparing to repel the Ukrainian offensive whenever it begins. This is clear from today’s visit of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Mr. Sergey Shoigu, to the zone of the special military operation [a term that Russia uses instead of war].
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Mr. Shoigu visited the southern military district, which at the moment includes part of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. The purpose of Mr. Shoigu’s visit was to check the readiness and serviceability of the military equipment sent to the units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the war zones of Ukraine.
Shoigu inspected bases for storage and repair of weapons and military equipment withdrawn from combat areas. The new Deputy Minister of Defense for Logistics Kuzmenkov presented Shoigu with new batches of modern tanks, military vehicles, and other equipment, the department added.
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video of part of Shoigu’s visit to the region. In the video footage, endless numbers of T-90M and T-72B3 tanks can be seen in the distance. Publications in the Russian media claim that the T-72B3 tanks are an upgraded 2022 version.
The video also shows modernized T-62M tanks, which according to sources are also the 2022 version. Dozens of Motovoz-M cargo military trucks are also seen being prepared and built.
Tanks are one of the most frequently lost military units in the war in Ukraine. However, Russia continues to send tanks of various models and ages to the front line. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, Russia announced that in 2023 it will produce at least 1,600 T-90M tanks. A significant part of them will be sent to Ukraine. This reinforces the view that Russia is ready to take the risk of a long war with Ukraine.
Dozens of Russian expert opinions say that Moscow will seek to return to the concept of a multi-thousand tank fleet. Although today we cannot compare the production tanks of the time of the Soviet Union, it seems that Russia has the capacity and the desire to try to follow this line of production.
The T-90M is the most advanced Russian tank that participated in the war. The tanks lined up today show that in recent months Russia has concentrated efforts in their production. There is logic in such a statement, since since the beginning of the year ground actions in Ukraine have been almost absent. Russia changed tactics and launched massive airstrikes with its fighter jets and kamikaze drones.
However, there have already been claims that a small division of T-14 Armata tanks is already in Ukraine. Russian media claim that the tank even participated in hostilities, but indirectly – by shelling Ukrainian positions from a distance. BulgarianMilitary.com recalls that the maximum range of the T-14 Armata is 12 km, but it is most effective at a distance of 5 km.
The T-90M tanks delivered today to Shoigu, which will go to the war zone, are produced by the largest tank manufacturer in Russia – UralVagonZavod. For more than eight months, the plant has been operating at full speed and in several shifts.
Although the plant has its problems related to both Western economic sanctions and low wages for workers, labor has and continues to come to work.
About T-90M Proryv
The T-90M differs greatly from the T-90 and T-90A versions. Unlike the T-90A, the T-90M has a new Kalina fire control system as well as a new turret. The T-90’s 125mm gun was also upgraded to the 2A46M-5 version, as well as the remote-controlled anti-aircraft gun to the UDP T05BV-1 version. T-90M also includes the Relikt ERA bricks instead of the Kontakt-5 ERA bricks. Other improvements include a new 1130 hp V-92S2F engine, an enhanced environmental control system, and satellite navigation systems.
However, the T-90M is not the last version of the Russian land flagship among tanks. The T-90M Proryv is the latest version of this tank. Russia has sent several units of this tank to Ukraine in recent months. However, the Ukrainian armed forces managed to capture two of Proryv. Analysts and military commentators claim that Ukraine will provide these tanks to its Western partners to be studied in detail.
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