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By Alia Shoaib
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What's New
New satellite images show how Russia's stock of armored vehicles has significantly depleted since it began its invasion of Ukraine.
The photos published by the U.K. Ministry of Defense on Tuesday show the dramatic reduction of Russian military equipment at various bases.
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Newsweek contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment via email on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
The depletion of Russia's armored vehicle stockpile points to growing strain on its military resources and raises questions about its ability to sustain prolonged offensive operations in Ukraine.
What To Know
Satellite photos of a base in Arsenyev in Russia from June 2022 and July 2024 show that rows of armored vehicles visible in the earlier image are now gone.
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Similarly, images of a base in Buy show a noticeable decline in the number of armored vehicles between August 2022 and June 2024.
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A third set of images show a tank storage base in Ulan-Ude, with only a fraction of the vehicles it had in June 2022 left in October 2024.
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Russia has overall lost over 3,600 main battle tanks and nearly 8,000 armored vehicles since it began its invasion in February 2022, the U.K. defense department said.
This has led to the Russian military increasingly relying on its stockpile of Soviet-era equipment, which is outdated and poorly maintained.
Russia began the war with a much greater supply of weapons and troops than Ukraine, but Kyiv has been buoyed by continued military support from the West. Russia has had to use its extensive Soviet-era stockpile, but recent reports have suggested that even these reserves are steadily running out.
Russia has also suffered major personnel losses since the war began. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month that Russia was believed to have suffered at least 700,000 casualties in total.
These losses have ramped up in recent months. The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in November that around 1,500 Russian troops were being killed or injured daily, citing information from the Ukrainian army.
This was the fifth straight month that an increase in monthly total losses had been reported. The department noted that this was likely "reflective of the higher tempo of Russian operations and offensives."
What People Are Saying
The U.K. Ministry of Defense wrote in its update on X: "Russian military equipment losses in Ukraine continue to increase.
"This has led to a reliance on outdated and poorly maintained Soviet-era equipment from strategic storage depots. Armoured equipment is being hauled out of storage, upgraded where possible and sent to the frontline."
What Happens Next
Russia shows no signs of letting up its offensive operations in Ukraine, but it faces growing challenges caused by dwindling equipment reserves and large-scale personnel losses.
Along with continued operations in the east of Ukraine, Russian forces have also been intensifying their attacks on Ukrainian-held territory in Russia's Kursk region.
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