Russia Loses 100th Cutting-Edge Multi-Million Dollar T-90 Tank, Says Oryx

Russian troops have lost their hundredth T-90M Proryv (“Breakthrough”) tank, which Russian President Vladimir Putin regards as one of the most advanced models in his army, according to an analyst from the Oryx portal.

Based on open sources, the analyst counted 100 destroyed and damaged T-90M tanks using available photos and video materials.

“The Oryx database broke through the 100 lost Russian T-90M tanks. And as a celebration, let’s have a classic T-90M loss!” reads the caption of a video capturing one such tank’s destruction.

The list also includes tanks captured by the Ukrainian Defense Forces and those abandoned by Russian troops on the battlefield without serious damage.

Russian propagandists promote the T-90M tank as a response to new Western tank upgrades, including the American M1A2 SEPv3, the German Leopard 2A7, and the British Challenger 3.

The T-90M tank is a deep modernization of the T-90/A tank, featuring additional protection, new fire control systems, and an upgraded engine and transmission. These upgrades are implemented on the T-90 and T-90A tanks, which have been in service with the Russian army since the 1990s.

The newer Russian T-90M Proryv features the latest version of the 125mm gun with stabilization, complex multi-layered combined armor, and an advanced electronic complex with panoramic sights, a thermal imager, and encrypted digital communication.

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The exact cost of the T-90M is estimated to be around $4.5 million. These tanks are presumably produced in small quantities, possibly only 5 to 10 per month.

The Ukrainian military portal Militarny noted that among the tanks used by the Russian army in the war against Ukraine, T-90M losses are relatively small. However, considering the losses of modernized tanks, these losses are significant.

The Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops earlier reported that Ukrainian tankers from the Hunting Brigade captured a Russian T-90M tank. Photos of the captured tank have been published by Khortytsia, highlighting a significant score for the Ukrainian forces.

According to the report, the captured tank was leading a large-scale assault by Russian troops, which ended in a “complete fiasco” for them. The mechanic-driver from the Hunting Brigade risked his life to reach the tank through the gray zone and drove it back to Ukrainian positions.

Earlier, Ukrainian servicemembers from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) reportedly destroyed a Russian T-90M using kamikaze drones.

In late January, a video of one of Russia’s most advanced tanks being hit by a far less powerful infantry fighting vehicle gained significant attention on social media. The viral drone video, first published by Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade, captured a US-made M2 Bradley hitting a Russian T-90 tank at point-blank range, damaging the heavily armored vehicle with dozens of 25mm high-explosive rounds.

To clarify, the US-made M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is not a tank. However, according to Rosoboronexport’s sales pitch, the Russian T-90 Main Battle Tank is described as a “hi-tech weapon system” that should have been more than a match even for two Bradleys.