Russia has lost more than 4,000 tanks in its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, according to meticulously documented evidence gathered by independent military analysts. The Oryx group, a respected Dutch open-source intelligence platform, has tracked every confirmed loss using photographic and video records since the Russian dictator launched the full invasion in February 2022.
These losses include Russian tanks that were destroyed, abandoned, or captured by Ukrainian forces. Notably, the figure reflects only those losses that have been verified through visual confirmation, meaning the real number is almost certainly higher. Each verified loss represents one more symbol of the Kremlin’s failing military campaign against Ukraine’s determined defence.
The Oryx database excludes any vehicles without reliable visual evidence and avoids double-counting. For instance, if a Russian tank is captured and later destroyed, it is counted only once as a Russian loss. Similarly, if the tank’s origin cannot be clearly established, it is not added to the count. Despite this rigorous methodology, the volume of documented losses is staggering.
In addition to the thousands of tanks lost since 2022, at least 50 tanks, including the then-modern Russian T-72B3, were destroyed by Ukrainian forces between 2014 and 2021 during earlier stages of Russian aggression. One such tank’s turret, destroyed in August 2014 in the Donbas region, serves as a grim reminder of Russia’s long-term military failure in Ukraine.
Among the most notable wrecks is a T-90M Proryv, once touted as one of Russia’s most advanced battle tanks, which was destroyed in the Kharkiv region in May 2022. The wreckage was confirmed through footage released by Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces. More recently, in November 2024, Ukrainian marines captured a Russian T-72B3 in the Kurakhiv sector, demonstrating that Ukraine continues to seize critical battlefield assets even after nearly three years of full invasion.
In total, Oryx estimates that over 22,000 pieces of Russian equipment — including tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery, and aircraft — have been eliminated by Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian General Staff reports even higher figures, asserting that Russian losses include 10,864 tanks and 22,645 other armoured vehicles as of 29 May.
