Half of Russia’s main battle tanks have likely been destroyed or captured by Ukraine, a senior United States defense official said Friday. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander told a virtual event hosted by the Center for a New American Security that “Russia has probably lost half of its main battle tank stock in combat and through Ukrainian capture.” Wallander did not provide an exact figure for the number of tanks lost since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The estimate comes as Ukraine prepares to receive a significant influx of heavy Western tanks. Britain has announced that its Challenger 2 tanks will be deployed in Ukraine in March. Germany and its allies aim to deliver a battalion of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv by April. The United States has also pledged a battalion—31—of M1 Abrams tanks, although they are expected to arrive much later.
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