Russia has begun using its new T-14 Armata main battle tanks to attack Ukrainian positions, “but they have not yet taken part in direct assault operations,” the state news agency RIA reported on Tuesday, citing a source close to the matter. .

The RIA reported that the tanks were equipped with additional flank protection, and the crews underwent “combat training” at training grounds in Ukraine.

The T-14 tank has an unmanned turret, and the crew remotely controls the weapons from “an isolated armored capsule located in the frontal part of the hull.”

Tanks develop a maximum speed on the track of 80 kilometers per hour, RIA also writes.

In January, British military intelligence said that Russian forces in Ukraine were unwilling to accept the first tranche of tanks because of their “poor condition.”

He also said that any deployment of the T-14 would likely be a “high-risk decision” for Russia and one made largely for propaganda purposes.

“Production is likely to be only a few dozen units, while commanders are unlikely to trust this machine in combat,” said the British Army.

“After eleven years in development, the program has been dogged by delays, reductions in planned fleet size and reports of production problems.”

The Kremlin ordered the production of 2,300 tanks – first unveiled in 2015 – by 2020, but that deadline was later extended to 2025, Russian media reported.

In December 2021, the Interfax news agency reported that the state-owned conglomerate Rostec had started production of about 40 tanks, the delivery of which is expected after 2023.

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