In a press release, the Russian Defense Ministry specified certain losses of Ukrainian equipment. These impressive numbers… seem way too high. OSINT makes it possible to give minimum casualty figures but the difference between the Russian figures and the figures proposed by Oryx is far too great. What losses confirmed on both camps? What proportions compared to Russian figures? Deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine: what effects? The answers below!
An announcement that surprises
On October 29, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a report on the state of the “special military operation” in Ukraine. In the last paragraph, it was possible to read:
“In total, 517 aircraft and 253 helicopters, 8,392 unmanned aircraft, 441 anti-aircraft missile systems, 13,006 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,170 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket launchers, 6,902 cannons and mortars, as well as 14,760 vehicles special military units were destroyed during the special military operation.“
In any war, communication outside the battlefield is also a war in its own right. It is therefore normal that the official reports – from both parties – do not represent the reality of the loss and destruction figures. However, the latest figures that Russia is announcing seem very exaggerated.
A little OSINT
The numerous images and videos published by Ukrainian civilians, soldiers and officials from both camps,… offer a veritable image bank of the situation on the ground. This image bank, visible on various social networks, also makes it possible to confirm the material losses of both camps. If many accounts reported these images, identifying them, the website Oryx has become the reference on the subject, constantly updating the pages on the conflict, such as the Russian material losses, Ukrainian material losses, deliveries of materials to Ukraine,… These figures thus give a general idea of the minimal Ukrainian and Russian material losses since February 24, 2022, namely the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
How many tanks and armored combat vehicles?
According to the Oryx website, as of October 30, 2023, the Ukrainian Ground Forces had a total of 682 battle tanks out of action: abandoned, captured by the Russians, damaged or destroyed, as explained in the graph below. Oryx also specifies the loss of 780 armored infantry fighting vehicles, 333 armored fighting vehicles and 360 armored personnel carriers. Thus, there are 2,155 Ukrainian tanks and armored fighting vehicles confirmed to be out of combat. This figure represents only 16.5% of Russian claims! It would be surprising if, with the numerous images published by the Ukrainians but also by the Russians, 10,851 tanks and armored combat vehicles were missing!
