Bloomberg: Ukraine surpasses Russia in tank numbers

After more than 16 months of war, new data on military aid to Ukraine shows a significant change in the balance of heavy weapons on the battlefields, says Bloomberg.

The updated Ukraine Support Tracker database, supported by Germany's Kiel Institute of World Economics, shows that Kyiv's partners have delivered 471 new tanks since the start of the war, and another 286 have yet to arrive.

According to the Oryx group, Ukraine's tank fleet has grown since the start of the invasion last year, while Russia's tank fleet has halved.

By February 24, 2022, Russia had 3,400 tanks, and now it has 1,400. In Ukraine, before the full-scale invasion, there were 987 tanks. Currently, there are 1,500 tanks.

The gap also narrowed for artillery and rocket launchers, although to a much lesser extent. The tank figures, in particular, are consistent with parliamentary testimony given by Britain's Chief of Defense Staff, Tony Radakin.

"Russia has lost nearly half the combat effectiveness of its army," Radakin said. "Last year, it fired 10 million artillery shells, but at best, can produce 1 million shells a year. It has lost 2,500 tanks and, at best, can produce 200 tanks a year."

According to Oryx, which records only losses it can confirm, 2,082 Russian tanks have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured since the start of the war in 2022.

At the same time, Ukraine must regain territory, so it is on the offensive against a well-prepared defense. For this, it needs a decisive advantage.

This explains the focus of Ukrainian forces on destroying Russian artillery and supply routes before sending the bulk of brigades prepared for a counteroffensive. Ukraine's General Staff has recently announced the destruction of more than 30 Russian artillery systems almost daily. Artillery losses are tough to verify because they are usually hidden far behind the front line.

The Kiel Institute updated data from February 25 to May 31, finding that aid pledges were significantly lower than in the winter, despite some big packages from Germany and the US, with military commitments totaling €9 billion ($9.77 billion).

At the same time, the share of military aid increased relative to financial and humanitarian obligations, the institute reported. The report said the US and European Union member states have been the slowest to meet their weapons commitments, with 286 of 757 tanks and 177 of 556 155mm and 152mm howitzers yet to arrive.

It said these delays could make even some of the tanks delivered less effective than they should be, as Ukrainian forces have had to rush training, often with different NATO partners with different practices.

Thus, until the Ukrainians have a clear advantage, the price for moving forward will be very high, Yohann Michel, a land warfare specialist at the IISS, told Bloomberg.

Earlier, Rubryka reported that President Zelesnky recently stated that a counteroffensive could not begin in some areas because there is no necessary weaponry. Ukraine needs long-range missiles because Russia has them and will use them against the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He added that Ukraine needs planes, not even for superiority, but at least for equality in the air.