Tanks Covered in Spiderwebs: Why Multi-Million Dollar Armor Has Been Sidelined

An analysis suggests that expensive tanks provided to the Ukrainian military with Western support have virtually ceased to be used in combat due to changing warfare dynamics.

Following reporting on Ukraine's 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade in the northeastern Kharkiv region, The New York Times described the situation, stating, "Tanks worth 10 million dollars each are hidden in forests, sitting around doing nothing and covered in spiderwebs."

Previously, Ukraine had received expensive, high-performance tanks from allied nations shortly after being fully invaded by Russia in 2022, but they are currently rarely used in actual combat.

This shift is analyzed to be due to tanks revealing critical vulnerabilities to attacks from low-cost drones, which have recently taken on a leading role on the battlefield.

The nature of the Russia-Ukraine war began shifting toward a focus on low-cost drones around the first quarter of 2023, and drone attacks have left fatal damage on tanks.

Although both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries devised self-defense measures such as equipping tanks with protective gear, doubts have ultimately been raised about their effectiveness, confirming that both sides have recently stopped using tanks.

A Ukrainian artilleryman stated, "Tanks are merely serving as 'expensive tractors' to tow damaged machinery or vehicles," adding, "Even then, they only deploy during bad weather when the threat of drone attacks decreases."

Oleksandr Syrskyi, who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces until last July, recently said, "We are practically not using armored vehicles at all," and added, "The question is raised: How can we offset the advantages of drones and give new life to our tanks?"

Reports also indicated that about half of the members in Ukraine's 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which operates as an armored unit, have been reassigned to drone pilot personnel.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video edited by Na Hong-hee | Design by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.