Desperate Putin has lost almost his ENTIRE tank force in Ukraine… now he's using rusty 50 year old relics for battle
RUSSIAN despot Vladimir Putin has lost almost all the tanks he had when he launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.
The tyrant has lost almost 3,000 armored vehicles since the war war began – and is now turning to silenced and rusting Cold War weapons.
8
8
8
Former Brigadier General Ben Barry, who served in the British army, told The Sun that Putin's crumbling forces may have two to three years of resources left.
He explained Russian The military's top brass now relies on “warehouses and storehouses of stockpiles of vehicles left over from the Cold War.”
And the security expert said Vlad is prioritizing “quantity over quality” as much of the Soviet-era ammunition is “50 years old” and “deteriorated.”
British military think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) today delivered the damning indictment of Russia's armed forces at the Military Balance 2024 conference in London.
The experts warned that the world is in a “volatile” situation and is facing a “more dangerous decade” due to Putin's war in the US. Ukraine – in addition to hotbeds of conflict elsewhere in the world.
And defense analysts fear that without Western support, the exodus of Ukrainian stores could be catastrophic.
Barry told The Sun that Russian battlefield technology – sustained and “very bloody attacks” – would hit Ukraine much harder without significant support from Europe and America.
“Russia, I think, hopes in the short term to outlive the Western supporters of Ukraine,” he warned.
Heavy Russian losses since the 2022 invasion
Dr. Bastian Giegerich, director general of IISS and a defense professional, said the war has “exposed cracks in the Russian armed forces.”
He explained that Russia has lost an estimated 1,120 tanks in the past year alone.
They have also seen around 2,000 armored vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles destroyed.
The total number of tanks lost is well over 3,000 since the start of Putin's brutal campaign.
Giegerich said: “The tank losses on Russia's battlefield are greater than what it had when it launched its offensive in 2022.
“Moscow has been able to replenish itself, but the vehicles coming out of Russian production facilities are in most cases not new.
Russia has taken equipment out of storage and deployed it in combat.
And he revealed that Putin may only be able to continue doing this for “two to three years.”
Meanwhile, it means his ruthless army must “sacrifice quality for quantity.”
The study also found that Russia has lost about 5,500 armored vehicles and about 500 multiple rocket launchers since the start of the invasion.
Ukrainian estimates put Russia's loss of soldiers at 400,000, the number of ships and boats at 24, and the number of aircraft at 657.
Russian propaganda
Several experts also spoke today about Putin's attempt to control the narrative surrounding the war, which has painted a false picture of how Russia is resisting Ukrainian counteroffensives.
Douglas Barrie, a military space expert at IISS, said Putin's comments in the interview with Tucker Carlson about the superiority of Russian long-range missiles were unfounded “mischief”.
He explained: 'To be honest, if you actually look at the systems they currently have in place, they don't substantiate his claims.
“When he talked about different wonder weapons, there are a lot of those wonder weapons still in development.
“It's an open question whether we'll ever see them all employed.”
And Henry Boyd, another defense expert at the IISS, said Russia has long tried to portray itself as an equal challenger to Western power.
“I think it has long been a semi-political goal to be able to advertise Russia as the equal of the West in terms of military capability.
“Right now that's not the case across the board… they're still way behind.”
China and Iran's support for Russia
The former brigadier general did warn that Iran could provide “background support” to Russia, which “could prevent Putin's forces from shrinking.”
And IISS security experts said Putin has already turned to his allies in Iran and North Korea for weapons.
He explained that the West must be cautious about China and Iran's response to the simultaneous wars around the world – in Ukraine, Gaza and wider parts of the Middle East.
“China and Iran, through their diplomacy, their assistance and their intelligence activities, have everything to gain from strategically reducing the West's position,” he said.
Although Zelensky's brave forces have also suffered losses, Western support has allowed them to maintain their supplies while Russia's have dwindled.
NATO is bracing for possible involvement in the gruesome battles between meat grinders is conducting the largest war exercise since the Cold War.
But member states will need to provide more help if Ukraine is to hold its ground against Russia – especially with Chinese and Iranian support.
As the war approaches its two-year milestone, Ukraine's success in 2022 was more important than last year.
Analysts said today: “While Ukrainian forces halted Russia's initial invasion in early 2022 and later that year recaptured about 50% of the territory Russia had seized since February, progress in 2023 was mixed.”
Zelensky's brave army has been successful in attacking Russia's Black Sea Fleet, thanks in part to Western cruise missiles.
But the ground counter-offensive has not been so successful – and 2024 will prove to be a key year not only for Ukraine, but also for the waiting West.
8
8
8
8
8