The Russian Federation aims to repair “thousands of tanks” in the reserve forces. Experts say this is “beyond reality”.
Remember the myths thousands of tanks beyond the Ural . mountains? A new project aims to restore them to full service. But there’s a small hitch: repair factories don’t exist yet.
A destroyed Russian tank. Image credit: Ukrainian Armed Forces via Ukrinform
Recently, the Russian Federation announced an ambitious plan to build two factories for the repair of heavy armored vehicles. This will include the restoration and modernization of old Soviet-era tanks that are now in a dormant state and the repair of military equipment damaged during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin, has signed an order for the construction of these repair enterprises, one of which will appear in the city of Ramenskoye, Moscow region, and the second will be established in the city. Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov Region.
Article on Defense Express mention that the geographical location of these plants perfectly matches the needs of the Russian military in repairing armored vehicles of the occupation forces that are fighting against the Ukrainian Armed Forces defending their country. .
Why is this project so out of reality?
There are several key facts that contradict the actual feasibility of the entire project.
The initial timeframe for implementing the project was surprisingly lengthy. 2 months only for the search for directors of new factories, 3 months for the registration of the Charter of new enterprises and up to 4 months for the registration of new facilities in the structure of the Ministry of Defense . Russia.
Furthermore, the Russian government did not specify exactly how much time it would take to build the proposed repair facilities.
Experts are inclined to believe that this initiative is just a means to hide the deficit in the state coffers, and are highly doubtful whether these repair plants will ever achieve function. .
Currently, the Russian Federation does not have the human and technological resources to build new armored repair plants. Russia’s sole tank manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, ceased production in March due to a lack of components.
#RussiaUralvagonzavod’s sole tank manufacturer has ceased production. The main reason for this is the lack of component parts. pic.twitter.com/hss7YrQaSU
– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 22, 2022
Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political columnist for the group “Information Resistance”, Written on his Telegram channel that modern Russia did not actually produce new tanks after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that only newly painted and modernized machines were delivered under the name “brand new”. Regular budget cuts by the Russian defense industry also lead to a reduction in the number of qualified personnel.
Even if we assume a theoretical possibility that those repair plants can be built in a realistic timeframe, actual repairs will still consume a large amount of time. According to Kovalenko, it takes about 2 weeks for the T-62 to return to service after a prolonged conservation period, for tanks of the T-72 and T-90 types – from 1 to 2 months, for the T-80 – up to 3 pcs. month.
