Satellite images reveal the enormity of Putin’s losses, with Russia forced to send outdated tanks to the front line after losing thousands of armored vehicles
Dramatic new satellite images have revealed the massive losses suffered by the Russian military during Vladimir Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine.
The before and after photos, published by the British Ministry of Defense, show how Moscow’s arsenal has been seriously depleted – with thousands of tanks disappearing over the course of two years.
Aerial photographs show three bases in Russia – tank storage facilities from the city of Buy in the west to Arsenyev in the far east – in the early months of the war and this year.
According to British intelligence, Putin’s forces have lost more than 3,600 main battle tanks – more than the entire pre-war active inventory – and almost 8,000 armored vehicles since the invasion began in February 2022.
The significant losses have forced Moscow to rely increasingly on its stockpiles of aging Soviet tanks, many of which are reportedly exposed to the elements.
“The losses of Russian military equipment in Ukraine continue to increase,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement alongside the images.
‘This has led to a dependence on outdated and poorly maintained Soviet-era equipment from strategic warehouses.
“Armored equipment is being taken out of storage, upgraded where possible and sent to the front line.”
BEFORE: A satellite image shared by the British Ministry of Defense shows tanks at a base in Ulan-Ude, Russia, in 2022
AFTER: A satellite image from the British Ministry of Defense shows the reduction in the number of armored vehicles at the Ulan-Ude base
BEFORE: An image provided by the Ministry of Defense shows armored vehicles at a factory in Buy, Russia, in August 2022
AFTER: An image provided by Defense shows that there will be far fewer vehicles stationed at the base in Buy in 2024
BEFORE: A tank storage facility in Arsenyev, Russia’s far east, pictured in 2022
AFTER: A fraction of the vehicles can be seen in a second aerial photo of Arsenyev in 2024
Russian losses have not just been limited to armored vehicles, with heavy troop casualties during the war continuing to rise in recent months.
Officials in Kiev reported last month that Moscow had lost more than 2,030 troops in a single day — the highest daily toll since the war began.
The Defense Ministry reported last month that about 1,500 Russian troops were killed or wounded every day.
Moscow has suffered a total of 700,000 casualties so far in the war, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month.
Ukraine has also suffered heavy armament losses, but Western military additions have allowed the country to maintain supplies while improving quality, experts say.
Britain has donated Challenger 2 tanks, known for their heavy armor and striking power, to Kiev and the heavy vehicles have played a key role in offensives in Kursk, Belgorod and elsewhere.
In an effort to recoup its losses, Russia has placed its economy on a war footing and transitioned defense factories to 24-hour production.
Hundreds of converted tanks have been pushed off production lines, and earlier this year a report said Moscow has been able to “trade quality for quantity.”
The country has since supplemented its out-of-action forces with an army of about 10,000 soldiers sent by ally North Korea, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.
Russian T-72 tanks drive during military exercises on a firing range during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in the southern Krasnodar region, Russia, December 2, 2024
Ukrainian troops destroy a Russian armored vehicle during a failed attack in Ukraine
Pyongyang’s units have been fighting alongside the Russian army in the Kursk border area, which is partly occupied by Ukraine.
Ukrainian and Russian forces are locked in a fierce battle around Kursk, and the official said Russia has been able to take back about 20 percent of the territory Kiev captured there.
They said it will be possible for Ukraine to hold out there for some time, but that will depend on how the rest of the battle plays out, including the long-range attacks launched by Kiev.
Reports of an intensified Russian counter-offensive in Kursk come at the same time that Moscow’s troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian army claimed early on Tuesday to have captured another small village in the eastern Donetsk region, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the resource-rich center of Kurakhove, which Moscow is also poised to capture.
Syrsky said the “most difficult situation” is currently around Kurakhove and the mining town of Pokrovsk – two areas that Russia wants to conquer.
Footage shows Ukrainian soldiers running around a vehicle and loading missiles into the launcher, before taking cover a few meters away and firing two missiles in quick succession
He said the “operational and strategic situation remains difficult” across the 1,170-kilometer (700-mile) front line, a day after Putin said Russian forces had seized “the strategic initiative” at the front.
Ukraine’s Western allies have urged to send as much military aid as possible to the war-torn country before Donald Trump takes power in the US on January 20.
The newly elected president has promised to ‘end the war within 24 hours’ and that is expected to happen pushing for a quick agreement to end the fighting when he takes office in January.
That has fueled fears in Kiev and Europe that Ukraine could be pushed to make major concessions to Moscow after nearly three years of fighting the Kremlin’s invasion.