Guerrillas Claim Russian Army Shifts Dozens of Cutting-Edge, Costly T-90 Tanks to St. Petersburg

The Russian army is relocating convoys with dozens of tanks from Sertolovo to St. Petersburg to bolster the front line with Ukraine, according to the Atesh partisan movement via Telegram.

Atesh released a video reportedly showing a convoy of Russian T-90M Proryv (“Breakthrough”) tanks being moved. Kyiv Post was not able to independently verify the date and location of the video.

“It is quite logical that, given the huge losses in equipment and manpower, the forces are trying to address the gaps by transferring reserves,” the partisans’ report read.

Atesh also mentioned that the numbers of cargo platforms are being tracked online alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

The T-90M tank, praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most advanced in his army, features a state-of-the-art 125mm stabilized gun, complex multi-layered combined armor, and an advanced electronic suite with panoramic sights, a thermal imager and encrypted digital communications.

While the exact cost of the T-90M is unknown, estimates put it around $4.5 million per unit. These tanks are believed to be produced in small quantities, possibly 5-10 units per month.

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

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

According to the Ukrainian military portal Militarny, losses of T-90M tanks in the war against Ukraine are relatively small, though significant when considering the losses of modernized tanks.

An analyst from the Oryx portal reported that Russian troops have lost their hundredth T-90M tank, based on open-source photos and videos documenting 100 destroyed and damaged T-90M tanks.

The Khortytsia operational and strategic group reported that Ukrainian tankers from the Hunting Brigade captured a Russian T-90M tank.

The report said that the T-90M was leading a major Russian assault, which ended in a “complete fiasco” for Russian troops. A mechanic-driver from the Hunting Brigade risked his life to retrieve the tank from the gray zone and bring it back to Ukrainian positions.

Earlier, Ukrainian service members from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade reportedly destroyed a Russian T-90M using kamikaze drones.

In late January, a viral drone video showed a US-made M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle hitting a T-90M at point-blank range. Published by Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade, the video captured the Bradley damaging the T-90 with dozens of 25mm high-explosive rounds.