- Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks since it invaded Ukraine, says the IISS.
- The think tank said that Russia’s battlefield tank losses have exceeded what it had before the war.
- Arms shortages have seen Russia turning to North Korea and Iran for weapons.
Russia has lost more tanks than it had before it invaded Ukraine, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said on Tuesday.
The London-based think tank offered its assessment when it launched its annual “The Military Balance” report on the same day. The report tracks the military capabilities of over 170 countries.
“On land, we assess that Russia’s war has cost it around 1,120 tanks in the past year,” IISS director-general and chief executive Bastian Giegerich said during the launch event.
“Tank losses since the full-scale invasion began now likely top 3,000 vehicles,” Giegerich said. “To put that into perspective, Russia’s battlefield tank losses are greater than the number it had when it launched its offensive in 2022.”
However, the think tank chief said that Russia would still be able to power through the war for the next few years despite incurring these losses.
The country, Giegerich said, has been able to replenish their tanks by building new ones or taking old ones out of storage.
“Russia should be able to sustain that for about two to three more years, although, in doing so, it has to sacrifice quality for quantity,” Giegerich said at the report’s launch.
Russia has been grappling with crippling economic sanctions since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The long-drawn war has seen Russia turn to allies such as North Korea and Iran for weapons amid shortages in arms.
Representatives for Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
