Pro-Kremlin television host Vladimir Solovyov has speculated about the possibility of Russia’s flagship T-14 Armata tanks heading to Ukraine.
Pro-Kremlin television host Vladimir Solovyov said that “Armata goes West”.
The propagandist claims that the new generation tanks, along with their crews, are now preparing to perform combat missions on the territory of Ukraine, while his words caused skepticism among the expert community both in Russia itself and in the West.
The new Armata tank has had a long and somewhat tortured development and is still in the test phase. The first prototypes were shown to the public for the first time at Red Square’s Victory Day parade on May 9, 2015.
The Russian Army initially planned to acquire 2,300 T-14s between 2015 and 2020, but due to technology imperfections have delayed mass production of its next-generation Armata main battle tanks several times.
In addition, earlier in April 2020, Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov confirmed that the T-14 Armata tank has problems with its engines, fire control system and thermal imagers.
The Armata is a heavy tracked standardized platform serving as the basis to develop a main battle tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier and some other armored vehicles. The new combat vehicle features fully digitized equipment, an unmanned turret and an isolated armored capsule for the crew.
The Oryx blog, which counts Russian military equipment losses in Ukraine based on photographs sent from the front lines, has reported that the Russian Armed Forces has lost at least 1577maine battle tanks, including seven modern T-90Ms since Russia began an invasion of Ukraine.