Russia has withdrawn 40% of old tanks from storage: ISW points out the aggressor's problems with the military-industrial complex

Russia has withdrawn 25 to 40 percent of its strategic tank reserves from open storage (depending on the model). If the level of losses of its equipment in the war against Ukraine remains the same or increases, the country will face a shortage of equipment.

This situation may remain for the next few years, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The analysts cite a report by researchers who analyzed satellite images from open sources.

According to Dara Massicot, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Moscow has likely withdrawn its best equipment from the strategic reserve. At the same time, the Russians still have "the worst" or "unrepaired" equipment in storage.

Massicot also estimated that "Russia's remaining stockpile of weapons will decline in the next few years" if its army maintains the current pace of operations on the Ukrainian front.

According to ISW, reported tank "production" figures in Russia in recent years largely reflect refurbished and modernized vehicles taken from depots rather than new production.

"These estimates suggest that the Russian Armed Forces are mainly using vehicles from stockpiles to support their military efforts rather than new production to compensate for losses on the battlefield," the analysts said.

They believe that Russia may face a shortage of equipment over the next few years if the current level of its losses in Ukraine remains the same or accelerates and the current level of new equipment production in Russia remains unchanged.

Earlier, ISW estimated that Russia lost more than 3,000 tanks in the war against Ukraine (6,700 according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), which is the same number as its entire pre-war arsenal. However, the Russian Federation has enough tanks in storage to last for another three years of fighting.

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