Russia Uses Movie Props After Armored Vehicle Falls... Also Deploys Former Soviet Tanks

Old Soviet-era equipment stored for decades also removed
Experts say "Proof that Russia is handling the situation well"

Reports have emerged that the Russian military is mobilizing Soviet-era tanks, which were previously used as movie props, due to a shortage of armored vehicles in the Ukraine war.

The American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 21st (local time) that the head of Mosfilm, Russia's largest film production company, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Moscow Kremlin last month and announced that the company would provide the Russian military with about 50 military vehicles, including tanks produced in the 1950s that the company owned.

These military vehicles were donated to the production company by the Soviet Ministry of Defense in the 1960s and have been used as movie props for decades. WSJ pointed out, "This is a clear example of how severe the shortage of armored vehicles currently faced by the Russian military is."

It is estimated that Russia has lost over 11,000 military vehicles, including more than 3,600 tanks, during the two and a half years of the Ukraine war. This number is equivalent to Russia's production output over 15 years before the war. The Russian military currently possesses about 2,600 tanks, leading to forecasts that Russia's armored vehicles will soon be completely depleted.

However, experts believe that Russia is adapting quickly to the situation.

Russian Army Tanks Yonhap News

According to Ukrainian and Western intelligence officials, Russia is implementing tactical changes such as sending small groups of infantry to the front lines first instead of tanks, and carefully deploying tanks camouflaged with wood. This change in tactics aims to minimize tank casualties.

As a result, while the number of Russian military deaths was mostly under 300 per day in 2022, the number surged to about 1,000 per day this fall due to increased soldier casualties.

Additionally, WSJ reported that the Russian military is swiftly responding by retrieving and refurbishing Soviet-era equipment that had been stored in warehouses for decades and increasing defense spending.

The Soviet-era tanks recently deployed by the Russian military on the battlefield are estimated to have been mass-produced in the 1960s and 1970s in preparation for a possible war with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) before the collapse of the Soviet Union. WSJ stated that these tanks require at least several weeks of maintenance before they can be operated again.

Experts added that considering the current production rate, Russia appears to have enough tanks to continue the war for at least another two years.

Michael Kofman, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment, told WSJ, "Russia cannot continue such intense offensive operations indefinitely, but it is adapting to extend that period as much as possible," adding, "Ukraine does not have the time to wait until Russia runs out of equipment."