About 9.3 thousand infantry fighting vehicles remain in storage bases in Russia. Most of them are either very outdated models or almost beyond repair. This is evidenced by data collected by open data analysts (OSINT) using satellite images – writes Radio Liberty, citing UNIAN.
The amount of combat-ready equipment is “on the verge of depletion,” it added.
As we read, the active use of motorcycles, quads and other light wheeled vehicles by Russian troops on the front is not “ingenious” at all, but evidence of the growing shortage of armored vehicles.
“In some cases, you can even predict what will happen on the front line based on stock levels. For example, seeing that most of the well-preserved BMP disappeared from storage bases, it is not surprising that Russia began to rely on other means of transport. First, they began to use APCs and MT-LBs, which are not designed for assault operations. As losses grew and supplies of ready-to-use equipment decreased, they began to use even less suitable means, such as quad bikes and motorcycles,” explained the OSINT analyst who operates on Twitter under the pseudonym Jompy, quoted by the agency.
War in Ukraine. Analyst: Not much combat-ready equipment
As the analyst calculated, at the time of the invasion Ukraine Russian army had about 2,000-3,000 lightly armored MT-LB tractors in service and about 3,000 more in storage. These vehicles are not designed for combat, but the Russians were forced to use them in such a role, resulting in huge losses and the emptying of their storage bases.
“I think the Russian army will soon start using the old BTR-60/70, MT-LBU and even BRDM-2: slowly but surely they are becoming more common in the weekly casualty figures, although they were almost non-existent before. The latest satellite images confirm that Russia has begun removing a large number of these vehicles from warehouses,” Jompy noted.
There is very little combat-ready equipment left in Russian storage bases, according to OSINT analysts' calculations based on satellite images, UNIAN writes.
The Russian Federation still has about 9,300 armored vehicles of all types (except tanks) in its warehouses. According to analysts, less than 5,700 of them are in good condition. Of the serviceable units, only about 1,350 are infantry fighting vehicles – equipment that is actually intended for front-line combat, not for supporting tasks.
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