“The pride of the Russian defense industry": Ukrainian military destroyed Russian T-90M tanks worth more than $200 million

As of December 12, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost 9,532 tanks in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, of which, according to analytical projects, about a hundred are the most modern tanks, according to Russian propagandists, T-90M "Breakthrough-3". UNN decided to find out how many "analog" tanks were destroyed or captured by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. We will also tell you about interesting cases of their destruction, and also try to analyze how many more such tanks Russia may have.

What is a T-90M tank

The T-90M "Proryv-3" tank is a deep modernization of the T-90 "Vladimir" tank, which in turn is an modernization of the T-72B tank in order to bring it to the level of the T-80U. 

According to open source information, the T-90M differs from previous versions in that it is equipped with a new loading machine and an upgraded 2A46M-5 smoothbore tank gun, with additional armament consisting of a 12.7mm Kord machine gun and a 7.62mm PKT. Particular attention was paid to improving the commander's target acquisition and fire control capabilities, which are now likely to be equally effective during the day and night. 

The tank is equipped with modular dynamic protection of the third generation: dynamic protection "relict" is installed instead of "Kontakt-5". The antineutron nadiy was replaced with a fire-resistant anti-shatter material such as Kevlar, and the fire extinguishing system was improved. 

This tank also has a boosted engine with a capacity of 1130 horsepower, a new turret equipped with the Kalyna fire control system, four TV cameras that provide an almost all-round view, transmitting images to the commander's and gunner's monitors. 

The cost of the T-90M tank depends on the version: the export price is about $2.5 million, and the cost of the most modernized version reaches $4.3 million.

how many T-90M tanks can the Russian Federation have in service

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in response to a request from UNN , reported that before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces could have had about 70 T-90M tanks in service.

After February 24, 2022, Russia could produce more than 300 T-90M tanks, and as of January 1, 2024, Russia could have up to 120 of these tanks in service. 

In addition, Russia can produce 10-15 T-90M tanks per month and up to 150 units per year.

However , the Washington Post reportedthat Western sanctions led to massive failures in the operation of Russian Geran-2 drones (analogous to Iran's Shahed) and deprived modern Russian T-90M tanks of laser sensors.

destroyed tanks 

According to analysts, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 99 to 120 Russian T-90M tanks have been confirmed destroyed

According to confirmed data, in 2022, about 7 T-90M tanks were destroyed and 2 more were destroyed. The first documented loss of the "Western tank killer" dates back to May 2022 in the Kharkiv region, when soldiers of the territorial defense of Kharkiv destroyed a tank with a Carl Gustaf grenade launcher. 

There is a version that the explosion of the tank's ammunition was caused by a shot from another Russian tank behind the T-90M. Perhaps the tank was immobilized by a shot from a Carl Gustaf, and the Russians did not want it to fall into the hands of the Ukrainian military. Therefore, this example of the latest Russian equipment was destroyed. But this does not change the fact that the tank was destroyed. 

On July 10, 2022, the soldiers of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a video of the destruction of several enemy tanks, including a T-90M. This was the second loss of a T-90M, which was visually confirmed . 

In September 2022, during a counteroffensive near Izyum in the Kharkiv region, the Defense Forces managed to capture an almost intact (without one track) T-90M model, which was equipped with a "Cape" weapon protection kit, which is used in the Russian army to protect armored vehicles from reconnaissance, military intelligence and high-precision weapons. 

"November-December 2022 was the most productive period, when Ukrainian defenders destroyed up to 5 tanks, including a Russian tank destroyed by a Ukrainian-made Stugna ATGM near Bakhmut. 

In November of the same year, Ukrainian soldiers defeated an enemy column near Kislovka, Kharkiv region, destroying two T-72B3 tanks of the 2016 model, a T-90M tank, an BMP-2 and a truck. 

For example, in 2022, the Roku Defense Forces, with the addition of RCG-3 hand-held anti-tank grenades, destroyed the tank, which they abandoned. Grenades were thrown onto the tank by the operators of the R18 attack UAV. 

In 2023, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin called the Russian T-90M Proryv-3 tank the best in the world. 

"Now we can say that the T-90 Proryv is the best tank in the world. As soon as he enters the position, that's all, there is no one to do anything there. Further, more precisely, the security is higher," said Putin. 

However, the soldiers of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade disagree with Putin's words. On May 25, 2023, military brigades in the Donetsk region destroyed another "legendary" tank of the aggressor country's troops. 

"Our kamikaze drone hit the engine compartment, stopping the tank. Someone from the neighboring units hit the top of the turret, damaging the targeting optics. Then several friendly units tried to set the tank on fire, but failed. We got tired of watching this and one of our pilots decided to show a master class, hitting the tank right between the turret and the hull," the brigade reported. 

In February 2023, paratroopers of the 79th separate airborne assault brigade sent a T-90M to hell with two shots from the American Javelin system . 

The Ukrainian village of Stepove in the Donetsk region proved to be unlucky for the T-90M, where three tanks were destroyed between December 2023 and January 2024. In November , the Security Service of Ukraine destroyed a T-90M near the village. 

In December, soldiers of the 47th Brigade destroyed an "analog" tank using an FPV drone. 

"The crew has 'heroically' escaped, but we promise to catch up with them," the crew wrote . 

However, the soldiers of the 47th Brigade are remembered for the most epic destruction of this tank during the war. In January of this year, the soldiers "disintegrated" a T-90M with the help of an American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle near the same Stepove. The Bradley crew used a 25-mm cannon to disable the tank's system, the turret started spinning and the tank crashed into a tree. The T-90M was finished off by FPV drone operators.

In total, in 2023, Russia lost about 35 T-90M tanks and 6 more were shot down. 

Already this year, Russia lost about 12 such tanks, and one of the memorable destructions was remembered by the Gunners of the Defense Forces, who used a 155-MM bonus artillery shell to hit a Russian combat vehicle located 8 kilometers from the line of contact.

The publication Forbesreported that on February 16 of this year, the invaders in the area of the village of Terny, Donetsk region, lost 4 T-90M tanks in one offensive. 

According to analysts, at least 7 tanks have been captured by Ukrainian soldiers. Thus, in May 2024, soldiers of the 225th separate assault battalion captured a Russian tank. 

"Here is such a T-90 "breakthrough-3" orcs left on the battlefield. The operation took 4 months, a lot of people and equipment were involved, and yet we managed to withdraw the trophy," noted the fighters. 

At least two more T-90M tanks were captured in the Kursk region. 

"The newest Russian tank T-90M" Proryv", not having had time to fight, became a trophy of Galician paratroopers during a raid in the Kursk region. The Russians, in a panic, left the combat vehicle without a fight, having previously brought it to a technical malfunction. The paratroopers of the 80s quickly evaluated and mastered analog - to-analog equipment, repaired it, started it, and now the war machine will destroy its creators on the side of Ukraine," the 80th dshv Brigade reported. Now "Pirozhok" serves for the benefit of Ukraine. 

Two days earlier, the Defense Forces captured another tank.   

According to some experts, despite its modern characteristics, including dynamic armor and improved fire control systems, the T-90M proved vulnerable to Ukrainian anti-tank weapons, including older systems.

"Russia's reliance on the T-90M due to the heavy losses of other tanks has reduced its strategic deterrence. In addition, disadvantages such as the low reverse speed of the tank exposed it to additional risks in combat. In several cases, Ukrainian troops, using systems such as the M2 Bradley, successfully destroyed the T-90M, further highlighting the tank's disappointing effectiveness in the conflict. More than two years of war, it is safe to say that the T-90M was a disappointment. It has not achieved any significant results for the Russian military and is often defeated by older or weaker weapons systems," the experts write.