- Ukrainian ex-Soviet tanks face several problems on the battlefield.
- A Ukrainian tank platoon commander told the Kiev Independent newspaper that old tanks can break down, get stuck, and sometimes don’t even fire.
- The Ukrainian army wants to get modern and advanced Western tanks.
Ukrainian tank crews have many problems with old Soviet-era tanks, giving soldiers more and more reason to seek out more advanced and modern tanks from NATO countries.
Ukrainian troops report old T-64 tanks getting stuck in the mud, in constant need of repairs, and sometimes not even firing. The Kiev army was able to inflict a lot of damage on these tanks, but some say it’s time to upgrade.
According to Yehor, the tank platoon commander of the 1st Tank Brigade Independent of Kyiv His platoon of T-64 tanks is critical to Ukraine’s defense, providing a much-needed firepower boost to infantry and “always watching action”.
“If there is a massive breakthrough attempt, only tanks can handle it,” Yehor told a Ukrainian news outlet. “It’s the only unit with enough armor and firepower to handle any problem — infantry and other tanks.”
But while Yehor’s T-64 tanks were indispensable, he said it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them operational. One of the reasons he has is the weather. In early spring, the battlefield becomes muddy, limiting mobility.
Yehor acknowledged that tanks were becoming increasingly difficult to repair and that sometimes they wouldn’t even fire in the heat of battle.
“There are situations where 3-5 tanks sortie to suppress the attack and 2-3 of them fail to fire,” he told Kiev Independent. “It may be working fine today, it boots up and everything is fine, but tomorrow it breaks down and I can’t shoot.”
A Ukrainian T-64 tanker undergoes repairs after leaving the Ukrainian battlefield on March 9, 2023.
Photo by Wojciech Grzedzinski/Washington Post via Getty Images
The T-64 is a Soviet-era armor designed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov in the 1960s. At the time, these weapons were equipped with pioneering technologies such as his self-loading 125mm main gun, composite armor allowing for more damage, and anti-tank missile capabilities. Also, he needed only three crew members to operate the T-64.
Over the years, the Ukrainian army has improved these tanks. For example, Kiev has developed a new model of his T-64 with better firepower and improved armor.
According to open source intelligence analysis From Oryx, Ukraine has confirmed at least 480 destroyed, damaged, captured or abandoned tanks, mostly T-64 variants. Although this figure represents substantial losses, the number of tanks Russia lost far exceeds her 1,800.
As Ukraine continues to defend its eastern territories against Russian military incursions intent on carrying out a brutal new offensive, there is a growing demand for large numbers of modern and advanced Western tanks.
“Why is Ukraine asking for tanks?” Yehor asked in his interview“Our machines can no longer do what they’re asked to do, so they can’t do their jobs.”
And then the western tanks come. Some have already arrived, others are still months away. Meanwhile, Ukraine will be tasked with surviving the ongoing Russian offensive long enough to withstand the delivery of Western heavy tanks, including the Abrams, Challenger and Leopard tanks manufactured by the United States and its NATO partners Britain and Germany. owes