The Russian army resumed work and began sending Soviet medium tanks of the T-54/55 family of the 1940s to the front in Ukraine, Ukrainian Pravda reports with reference to a joint investigation by Radio Liberty and the Conflict Intelligence Team.

“As we learned, this echelon recently departed from the city of Arsenyev, Primorsky Krai, where the 1295th Central Tank Storage and Reserve Base of Russia is located,” CIT analysts note.

Primorsky Territory is located in the Far East of Russia, in the extreme southeast of Russia, where it borders North Korea.

Investigators studied archival photos of base 1295, which are in the public domain, and found that it stores a significant number of T-62M(B) tanks, as well as T-55 and T-54 models.

The first samples of the T-54 tank entered service with the Soviet Army in the second half of the 1940s, and the T-55 tank – in 1958.

The Russian army is betting on obsolete tanks in every possible way

“Even an outdated tank can be more useful than its absence, but we believe that the main disadvantages are the lack of a range finder and ballistic computers (not to mention a fire control system), primitive sights and (on the T-54) worse gun stabilization. of these models,” state military analysts.

They also reviewed the publicly available satellite photo database of Arsenyev and images obtained by RFE/RL through the Planet.com satellite imaging system showing storage facilities and open hangars.

The images show that between July 12 and October 2, 2022, at least 191 tanks (probably mostly T-62 models) left the base in the Russian Far East.

According to CIT, in reality, this figure may be higher, since the best-prepared machines for combat use are usually in hangars and are difficult to detect independently of a satellite during transport to the front.

However, a video appeared on social networks showing how part of the T-55 tanks are being transported by rail.

Russia is resorting to desperate measures regarding its military equipment

Investigators note that the deployment and use of T-62 tanks by the Russian military during the invasion of Ukraine has been noted since the end of last spring, but this is the first time that the preservation of T-54/55 models has been confirmed. .

Analysts claim that along with the removal from storage of BTR-50 tanks and the installation of anti-aircraft guns on MT-LB tanks, the reactivation of the old T-54/55 clearly shows the serious problems of the Russian army. with their war machines.

In its latest assessment of losses inflicted on Russia, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claims that Russian forces have lost 3,557 tanks and 6,887 armored vehicles since the beginning of the invasion.

However, we remind you that these numbers should always be taken with a hint of skepticism, since they cannot be independently confirmed, and the information war is being waged on both sides of the conflict.

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