Summer Offensive Equipment Losses: Russia Has Lost 45% More

Russia lost nearly double the number of tanks as Ukraine during the summer offensive, according to independent monitors.

The revelation is part of data compiled during June and then released by Oryx, an independent military monitoring and reporting organization.

Oryx’s methodology is to only include losses that have been geolocated by photo or video.

Oryx’s findings for the period covering the first month of Ukraine’s summer offensive included:

• Overall, Russia lost 45 percent more military equipment in the first month of Ukraine’s summer offensive. Ukraine’s total losses of AFVs (armed fighting vehicles), tanks, trucks, artillery pieces, and special equipment for June was 217 units. Russia’s was 315.
• Russia lost 96.9 percent more tanks than Ukraine during June. Ukraine lost 32 tanks in the period; Russia lost 63.
• Russia lost four times more artillery pieces than Ukraine during June. Ukraine lost 10 units; Russia lost 46.
• Ukraine lost 8.6 percent more AFVs (armored fighting vehicles such as BTR and BMP armored personnel carriers) than Russia. Ukraine lost 126 units; Russia lost 111.

According to Oryx, since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 10,904 pieces of military equipment of which 7,251 were destroyed, 414 damaged, 407 abandoned, and 2,832 captured. 

That represents a Russian loss rate of 681 units per month since February 2022 – nearly double what was lost in June.

In total, Russia has lost 2,082 tanks – or an average of 130 per month which is double what was lost in June.

The fact that June had less equipment loss for Russia than the average for the war shows its defensive rather than offensive stance, and the changing nature of strategy and tactics being deployed.

Due to strong Russian preparations, including four lines of defense and fortification along the southern front, and Russia’s pronounced air superiority, Ukraine’s offensive has opted for cautious, smaller-scale advances by units in limited sizes, e.g., often under battalion.

These are designed to flush out and reveal Russian defensive positions, particularly artillery and troop concentrations. Those are then hit with counter-battery strikes by Ukrainian artillery and missiles.

Ukraine has confirmed that it has not yet significantly deployed its full mechanized infantry/tank capabilities, including some of its newly trained combat battalions. This is again belied by the statistics, which show higher losses of Ukrainian armored personnel carriers and lower comparative losses of Ukrainian tanks.

Importantly, loss figures are also relative. Namely, Russia’s overall supply of military equipment is much greater than Ukraine’s. Therefore, it can sustain losses to a greater degree than its less armed opponent.

This reality was underscored by Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief, during a rare interview with The Washington Post late last week.

Zaluzhny raised concerns about the West’s slow pace of delivery of promised supplies, including modern aviation.