Russian Army Frontline Units Receive New T-72, T-80 and T-90 Tanks Amid Ukraine War Attrition

The Russian Army has received a new batch of T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M main battle tanks, which were delivered by the state defence conglomerate Rostec and are intended to support ongoing operations in the Ukrainian theatre. The vehicles were described by Rostec as incorporating lessons learned from combat experience and direct feedback from frontline personnel, with the capabilities of all three types having been gradually updated over the past four years. Although presented by Russian media sources as a new batch of vehicles, however, it is notable that the T-72 and T-80 have not been produced for decades, meaning only the T-90M tanks may be genuinely new vehicles. T-72B3 and T-80BVM tanks have been delivered by refurbishing and upgrading existing tanks, the large majority of them Soviet-built, to prepare them for high intensity frontline engagements. 

The production of T-90M tanks and refurbishment of T-72 tanks is taking place at Uralvagonzavod, which is the world’s largest tank production facility outside China. Commenting on the delivery, which coincided with celebrations of the 81st anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat, Uralvagonzavod director general Alexander Potapov drew on the historical memory of the T-34 tank, the backbone of the 1940s Soviet Army, observing: 

“In its time, the legendary T-34 fully met the requirements of the era. It became not just a combat vehicle — it became the tank of Victory. And today in battle, our T-72s, T-80s, and T-90s also meet modern challenges, combat conditions, and new threats. But these are already different tanks. Time will pass, new tanks will appear as an answer to new threats, but they will be built on the basis of what we are creating now. And our children and grandchildren will speak of today’s 72s, 80s, and 90s the same way we speak of the T-34.”

In mid-2025 Uralvagonzavod was assessed to have significantly increased production of T-90  tanks, from approximately 90-110 tanks per year in 2020-2021, to 280-300 tanks in 2024, which represented an effective tripling of output. This landmark achievement follows concentrated efforts from mid-2022 to significantly expand production, with heavy armour losses in the Ukrainian theatre, the expansion of the Russian Army, and the escalation of tensions with NATO members, all fuelling a perceived need for more production. Commenting on the significance of Russia’s surge in tank production open-source investigators from the Conflict Intelligence Team noted that compared to prior Western assessments, “the actual production rate is significantly higher.” They cited visual evidence of large trainloads of T-90s, and consistent sightings of T-90M units across multiple fronts in the Ukrainian theatre and beyond, as well as data from Russia’s defence procurement infrastructure.

Despite heavy losses, the Russian Army has been able to sustain and even expand its armoured units by bringing Soviet-built tanks out of storage, and in many cases modernising them extensively, with upgrade packages for the T-72B developed since 2022 having brought the tank’s armour protection levels to a similar standard to the T-90M. In an apparent response to the serious depletion of armour stockpiles, which even at expanded levels T-90 production has been far from sufficient to replenish, in September 2023 it was reported that the Omsktransmash tank factory, which produced T-80 tanks until the early 2000s, was set to restart production. The T-80’s performance in the Ukrainian theatre had by then made a strong impression on both personnel operating them and on the Defence Ministry, although the tank type is considerably more costly to produce and maintain than the simpler T-90. It was subsequently confirmed in April 2024 that industry had resumed production of gas turbine engines for T-80 tanks.