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16 October 2025

Analysis: Russia regenerates its tank force

T-80BVM in Luhansk oblast Eastern Ukraine
Analysis
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Three main types of Russian main battle tank (MBT) have come to dominate Russia’s fleet in very different proportions compared with the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3 family have emerged through significant modifications to their Soviet-designed ancestors. Through large-scale attrition and the need for pragmatism in production, these modernised versions of long-recognised vehicles will shape Russia’s tank force for the foreseeable future. 

T-80BVM in Luhansk oblast Eastern UkraineThe T-80BVM in Luhansk oblast, Eastern Ukraine, in August 2025. The tank has been factory fitted with the turret roof cover, colloquially known as ‘krisha’, with integrated dynamic protection elements. In addition, fenders with integrated Relikt ERA are clearly visible, while Triton electronic warfare equipment (under the camouflage net) used to counter attack FPV UAVs has been fitted on the top of ‘krisha’. Image credit: Russian Ministry of Defence

Prior to February 2022 only two units in the Russian Armed Forces had the T-90M MBT in their inventory. As of September 2025, Janes has identified some 20 Russian units that operate the type across the Russian military.

A chart illustrating changes in the number of Russian military units

A chart illustrating changes in the number of Russian military units operating the three leading MBT models before the invasion of Ukraine and in 2025. This chart is based on Janes analysis of Russian MoD data and non-official Russian and Ukrainian sources. Image credit: Janes/Miko Vranic

Likewise, only four units operated the T-80BVM prior to the invasion, while some 23 units have been identified by Janes as having the MBT in their inventory as of September. While 35 units had the T-72B3-family MBT in their inventory before the invasion, 53 units were identified by Janes to be equipped with the type as of September, making it the most numerous MBT in the Russian Armed Forces inventory. It is worth noting that each of these units can be equipped with anything from a battalion set of 30–40 of the specified MBTs, down to a company set of 10 MBTs, and even a platoon set of only few of such MBTs.

A chart illustrating changes in Russia tank force with Russian T-72B3-family

A chart illustrating changes in Russia’s tank force, with Russian T-72B3-family MBT numbers declining from 1,200 in early 2022 to 1,100 in September 2025, and T-90M numbers rising from 50 to 500 and T-80BVM from 100 to 280 over the same period. This chart is based on Janes analysis of Russian MoD data and non-official Russian and Ukrainian sources. Image credit: Janes/Miko Vranic

65–70% of the Russian military’s MBT fleet is estimated by Janes to comprise ‘deep-upgrade’ T-72B3 family and T-80BVM, and the latest T-90M. Prior to the invasion, such types comprised around 50% of the total fleet, with the vast majority from the T-72B3 family.

Notably, the T-90M entered service with the Russian Airborne Troops during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, while the T-72B3M was delivered to the increasingly militarised National Guard in 2023–24 and saw action in Ukraine's Kharkiv oblast in the boreal summer of 2024. The National Guard had no MBTs in its inventory prior to the full-scale invasion.

Tank hull and engine Production

In September 2023, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) CEO Aleksandr Potapov said the corporation was considering the resumption of new T-80 hull production, while later in the year, the production of the GTD-1000TF multifuel gas turbine engine for the T-80 was resumed at the Kadvi plant in Kaluga. Coveted for its high speed (including by the Ukrainian tank operators), high mobility, lower engine sound signature compared with diesel engines, and better cold-start capability when compared with the T-72 family (including the T-90M), the T-80BVM has proliferated during the invasion and is set to proliferate further in the coming years. Janes estimates that Omsktransmash is able to produce some 150 T-80BVM tanks per annum at present.

All three tank types, which are either being upgraded or produced at present, share a number of common parts resulting in unified component production that helps to improve output efficiency. However, if Russia is producing two different tank models from scratch – namely the T-90M and possibly the T-80BVM – this can hardly be deemed efficient. Russia’s diverse climates and terrain may justify the need for the additional mobility provided by the gas turbine engine, but it could also reflect an inherited Soviet-era mentality where the state’s primary focus is on scale and social goals rather than optimising output and effective use of resources.

In September 2025, a Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) report said that UVZ is to produce some 250 T-90M tanks in the year. As per the report, the figure only includes newly built hulls. Although the number should be treated with some caution, Janes estimates that UVZ is likely able to produce about 150–200 per annum at present and that the T-90M will become the mainstay of the Russian tank fleet. Analysed by size and output UVZ is the largest tank production and overhaul plant in Russia, and one of the largest in the world. The main UVZ plant, located in Nizhny Tagil in Western Siberia, overhauls, upgrades, and produces T-72B3- and T-90-family MBTs.

Additional protection

A uniform protective turret roof-mounted cover, which incorporates dynamic protection, intended to protect against top-attack anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and attack first-person view (FPV) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), was developed by Omsktransmash in 2022–23, and is colloquially known as ‘krisha’, meaning ‘roof’, or ‘mangal’, meaning ‘brazier’ in Russian. Omsktransmash overhauls, upgrades, and produces T-80-family MBTs and is a part of UVZ.

An early version of krisha being constructed by the MTO troopsAn early version of ‘krisha’ being constructed by the MTO troops close to the theatre in September 2023. Explosive inserts, presumably of the 4S20 series from the Kontakt-1 ERA, can be clearly seen in the image. Image credit: Russian Ministry of Defence

Previously, various improvised cages and covers, including ones with integrated dynamic protection, were installed on MBTs by the Materiel and Technical Support (Material’noe-Tekhnicheskoe Obespecheniye: MTO) troops of the Russian Armed Forces within or close to the theatre of operations in Ukraine. Since 2023 uniform ‘krisha’ kits have been factory fitted to the T-72B3M and T-80BVM.

For more information, please see Analysis: Russia regenerates its tank force

Analysis
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