A Russia’s T-90S tank, which was originally meant for export, has been captured by Ukrainian troops.
Multiple photos of the captured T-90S, which is the export version of the T-90 in service with the Russian army, were published on social media.
Russia faces depleting armor reserves after ten months of significant losses in Ukraine and apparently decided to divert to its own forces T-90S tanks that were initially bound for export customers.
T-90S is made for export customers, potentially including Algeria, India, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
As noted by the Russian state arms export agency Rosoboronexport, the T-90S is an advanced version of the T-series of Russian tanks, offering increased firepower, mobility and protection and it is designed for the export market.
On top of that, the Ukraine Weapons Tracker OSINT group posted a picture of what it says is the first loss of a T-90S tank.
#Ukraine: The first loss of a Russian T-90S, a type originally intended for export, has been spotted.
This version of the tank lacks the Shtora-1 APS (amongst other differences), but has been pressed into service given the serious armour losses of the Russian Army. pic.twitter.com/3yxDc77FAf
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) January 4, 2023
“The first loss of a Russian T-90S, a type originally intended for export, has been spotted,” the OSINT group said in a Twitter post.