Vladimir Putin is desperately emptying Russian museums of obsolete tanks to use for his faltering military effort, which will soon face modern Western military machines on the battlefield, writes “Daily Mail”, quoted by dariknews.bg.
A video that has emerged in Russia shows aging Soviet-era T-62s being “upgraded” at a 24-hour factory in Chita, Siberia. Some of the tanks being refurbished at the 103rd plant are probably 60 years old, dating back to when Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev ruled the USSR.
Russia stopped production of the T-62 12 years ago, but there may still be as many as 2,500 of them stored in warehouses and museums. But Lt. Gen. Andrey Gurulev, 55, a prominent state broadcaster, Putin propagandist and lawmaker, said there was a method to moving the tanks.
During a visit to the plant, he stated: “Tanks that are more than 50 years old are becoming modern, normal machines capable of performing tasks and meeting modern challenges at the front. A tank battalion has already been sent to the front.”
He boasted: “These T-62 tanks are completely modernized. They have new engines, communication systems, control systems, thermal imaging cameras, dynamic active protection, which is installed in the outdated tank hulls.”
Gurulev stated that the remodeled combat vehicles were “no worse than modern ones”.
To keep them motivated, the workers at the factory were given a raise.
The tanks were first created in 1961, developing the T-55 series, and became the standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, remaining in reserve in many countries of the former USSR and in front-line use for other countries. In total, more than 22,700 T-62s were built, and in 1973 they were replaced by the T-72, which is still widely used in Russia and Ukraine.
Russia, like Ukraine, relies heavily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks in Ukraine, which have been destroyed by the thousands in more than a year of fighting.
Russia has also deployed about 1,000 of its modern T-90 tanks in Ukraine. The T-90 is supposed to be one of the best tanks in the world and has upgraded armor and missile defense systems – compared to the T-72 – which in theory make it harder to destroy. However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, countless Russian T-90M tanks have been destroyed by rocket launchers and Western Javelin anti-tank guided missiles.
About 50 BMP-2 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles have also been converted for war purposes. They date from the 1980s. The West is sending Leopard 2 tanks made in Germany, Challenger 2 tanks from Britain and M1 Abrams tanks from the US.
After Ukrainian advances in the second half of 2022, Kiev has focused on defense in the past three months. Meanwhile, Moscow launched an offensive campaign using mobilized reservists and convicts hired from prison as mercenaries – targeting the city of Bakhmut.
Kiev is widely believed to be planning its own counter-offensive later in the spring, when the muddy ground dries up and hundreds of Western armored vehicles and Challenger and Leopard main battle tanks arrive. The tanks will have a big impact, said Leonid Khoda, commander of Ukraine’s 1st Tank Brigade, which is fighting in the Donbass, which consists of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
