The Ukrainian Army Has More Tanks Now Than When The War Began—Because It Keeps Capturing Them From Russia

Since Russia began its war on the country, at least 74 tanks have been destroyed or captured.

According to open-source-intelligence analysts who scrutinize photos and videos on social media, at least 118 Russian tanks have been captured by the Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian army might have more tanks now than a month ago, without building a new tank or pulling an older one out of storage.

At least 37 Ukrainian tanks have been captured by the Russians, which is not enough to compensate for the hundreds of tanks it lost.

Russia lacks preparation for a high-intensity war against a determined foe, as shown by the disparity in captured tanks. It speaks to the advantages any defender has over an attacker.

Russia has to project forces into Ukraine hundreds or even thousands of miles in order to protect front-line units from running out of fuel and supplies. Many of the tanks the Ukrainians have seized were empty, and their crews had fled.

The Ukrainian army is able to fight close to major cities because of its interior lines. The Ukrainians have their own supply lines that are contained inside their own defensive perimeter.

Ukrainian tanks are less likely to run out of fuel in the middle of the war zone.

Analysts can confirm that the 117 tanks captured by Ukraine are the ones they can see. It is almost certain that the total is much higher. Videos of Ukrainian farmers towing abandoned Russian vehicles have become symbols of resistance.

It's hard to say how many of the seized tanks are fit for use. There are many videos of Russian tanks. There aren't many showing the tanks back in action.

It's good that Ukraine uses the same tanks as Russia. The main tank of the Ukrainian army is no longer being used by the Russian army. The T-72 and T-80 are two models that the Russians still use.

The T-80 is an evolution of the T-64, which is one of the most sophisticated tanks ever produced. The T-72 is a simpler, cheaper tank that is suitable for mass-production and easy support in the field. It isn't for no reason that Ukraine assigns its T-72s to reserve formations.

There aren't many captured Russian tanks that Ukraine can use. The question is how quickly the army can take stock of a vehicle, repair it, replenish it, and assign it to a crew with the right training.

There are videos depicting ex-Russian T-72s and T-80s in combat on the Ukrainian side, so that can happen in a matter of days. Russia attacked. The former Russian tanks were shooting at the Russians.

Hundreds of tanks, fighting vehicles, air-defense systems, and trucks have been captured in the course of the transfer from Russia to Ukraine.

The Kremlin can't kill its way to victory. As long as the Ukrainians remain united in the defense of their homeland, they will have reserves of human capital.

At the same time Russia was begging Syria for a thousand mercenaries last week, Ukraine was sending 150,000 new troops.

The reservists are probably not hurting for equipment. Many of them will fall in on an ex-Russian T-72 that has been cleaned and painted.