Russian troops use outdated and ineffective equipment in Ukraine. The new models are unreliable and do not meet the modern requirements of war.
This is stated in the report of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which was reviewed by The Times newspaper.
The report is based on studied trophy equipment captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including in Kyiv oblast. It states that Russian armored vehicles and helicopters are unable to withstand small arms fire, and cruise missiles in most cases do not hit their targets.
The $16 million Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter, which Russian propaganda calls a "flying tank," is fired with a conventional 7.62 mm machine gun, even though its cockpit is designed to withstand 12.7 mm bullets. These helicopters attacked Kyiv oblast in the first days of the invasion.
Allegedly, the newest armored vehicle based on the Urals , Tornado-U, which, according to the manufacturer, has class 5 armor protection against 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullets fired from an AKM from a distance of 5-10 m, is also unable to withstand automatic fire. It has weak protection against damage by small arms. The BMD-4M assault vehicle of 2015 is also weakly protected against small arms, mine fragments and projectiles.
Russian T-72B3 main battle tanks and BTR-82A armored personnel carriers proved defenseless against Western-supplied anti-tank weapons such as Javelin, NLAW and Matador grenade launchers.
Anti-aircraft missile gun complex "Pantsir-S1", with which the Russians unsuccessfully tried to close approaches to Snake Island, is not able to cope with the simultaneous attack of several drones. He is also defenseless against air strikes. One "Pantsir-S1", however, is fighting on the side of the Armed Forces.
As for drones, the report says that the most massive Orlan-10 wears out quickly, causing the device to fail. At the same time, they have a lot of foreign spare parts that are difficult for Russia to get under sanctions.
As for cruise missiles, Kalibr, which costs approximately $6.5 million per unit, is able to hit the target 33% of the time. At the same time, according to the estimates of the Ministry of Defense, 30% of the missiles used in the war ended up hitting civilian objects.
- Due to significant losses, the Russians are already using Soviet T-62 tanks against Ukraine. Russia also has to look for weapons in Syria and Iran.
- According to the General Staff, as of August 11, Russia lost 1,846 tanks, 4,100 armored combat vehicles, 974 artillery systems, 232 aircraft, 193 helicopters, 772 drones, 15 ships/boats and thousands of vehicles in Ukraine.