Ukrainian Army Captures Russia’s Most Capable Tank: Why the T-90M is Prized by the Russian Army

The Ukrainian Army 68th Jaeger Brigade has successfully captured Russia’s most capable class of main battle tank, the T-90M, after the vehicle was reportedly abandoned near the frontlines. The operation saw the vehicle evacuated alongside a a T-80 tank and a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, accordingly to Ukrainian reports. While a number of Western sources have highlighted the significant benefits which the capture could yield for Ukrainian and allied NATO forces, the value of the vehicle in Ukrainian hands remains limited by the fact that multiple prior T-90Ms have been captured in the past as early as September 2022, giving Russia’s adversaries opportunities to study the vehicle for over a year. With the older T-80 widely fielded by Ukraine itself, however, there is a significant possibility that this second capture tank will go on to enter service in the Ukrainian Army. Russia and Ukraine have captured one another’s tanks in considerable numbers since the escalation of hostilities in February 2022, with Western built armoured vehicles including American M1A1 Abrams and German Leopard 2 tanks having been displayed in central Moscow in May after both classes took heavy losses over the preceding 12 months.

The T-90M has been widely praised as the most capable tank in the world by Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and former president Dmitry Medvedev. It has significantly superior capabilities to all other tank classes in Russian service, with its main gun, munitions classes, armour protection and sensors all being outstanding. The class  entered service in April 2020, after testing was completed two months prior, and represented a revolutionary improvement over prior T-90 variants making it by far the most capable tank in Russian service. Notable features include use of Afghanit active protection system and Relikt explosive reactive armour, addition of extra armour isolating the tank’s ammunition internally, and integration of the new 2A46M-5 gun and Kalina fire control system providing compatibility with a wide range of new munition types.  A more capable next generation main battle tank, the T-14 Armata, is currently in testing and reportedly may join the Russian Army by the end of the year. The T-14 has seen limited deployments to Ukraine for testing purposes.