Russia’s Tank Strategy: A Desperate Measure?

You know, I am starting to believe that it’s only a matter of time before we see T-34s being reactivated in the future.

Now for the last few days, videos have been making the rounds that reportedly show train loads of T-54/55 main battle tanks being transported to “undisclosed” locations. But the common belief is that they are being sent to Ukraine.

The Train Loads of T-62 Tanks

It was not too long ago that train loads of T-62 tanks were shown being sent to Ukraine as well. Although at that time, it was believed they would be used by pro-Russian forces in the region, thus freeing up T-72s, T-80s, and T-90s units to head towards the front lines. Well, we all know now that was not the case, as images of destroyed T-62s were shown by advancing Ukrainian troops.

Now it seems that Russia is really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel, with the apparent deployment of the T-54s and T-55s. The vast majority of these tanks have been sitting in storage for several decades and were deemed obsolete well before the first generation M1 Abrams entered service.

Obsolete T-54s and T-55s

To be fair, a lot of countries still use these 70+ year old tanks and have kept them operational thanks to numerous upgrades over the years. Though they are not used as frontline assets, rather as an “Assault Gun” to support infantry in environments where the risk of anti-tank weapons being used is low.

But the tanks being shown in Russia don’t seem to have any upgrades at all. In fact, some of them were seen fitted with old infrared night sights, which is the last thing you would want to use in a place like Ukraine, where night vision and thermal cameras are used effectively by Ukrainian ground units.

Pro-Russian Militias and Frontline Deployment

It is possible that these tanks, if they were heading towards Ukraine, could be handed over to pro-Russian militias. But considering I said the same thing about the T-62s that were initially sent in last year, I would not be too surprised if they are sent to the front lines as well. A place that will become even more hazardous for their potential crews, as Ukraine is set to deploy Leopards, Challengers, and even Abrams MBTs very soon.

~NC