Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
Russia’s total losses in tank units since the beginning of 2024 have exceeded 3,000 units, equivalent to 102 battalions. The money spent on these tanks could provide the annual budgets of several cities, but the Russian government continues to spend billions on the war.
A destroyed Russian T-90 tank: Facebook of Yaroslav Halas
According to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, in 10 months of 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed and damaged 3,179 tanks of the Russian army. A Russian tank battalion includes 31 tanks, so this number of losses is conditionally equal to 102 battalions destroyed by the Ukrainian military. This was reported by the TimeUkraineIsrael portal with reference to official sources of the Ministry of Defence.
A significant event of this year was the day of 12 May, which Ukrainian defenders called “tanker day” for the occupiers. It was then that Ukrainian troops destroyed 31 Russian tanks during the day – the equivalent of an entire battalion unit. Data provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The cost of losses: USD 9 billion
The total losses of Russian tanks since the beginning of the year are estimated at $9 billion. This amount is conditional and calculated on the basis of average world prices for major battle tanks, including the T-72 and other models mainly used by the Russian army. For comparison, $9 billion is equal to approximately 16 annual budgets of the city of Chelyabinsk, one of the Russian cities with the most critical environmental situation.
Prioritising war over social needs
Despite the huge costs and internal social problems, the Russian leadership continues to invest in the war. Instead of improving life in their regions, which suffer from environmental problems and lack of funding, the Russian authorities rely on military spending. This policy demonstrates an unwillingness to address social problems, instead spending the bulk of its financial resources on supporting the war against Ukraine.
These data provided by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine demonstrate that due to the decisive actions of Ukrainian defenders, Russia is suffering not only military but also financial losses that threaten its economic stability.
