Russia Parked Its Tanks For A Whole Year. Now They're Back In Action.
But the initial mechanized assaults met stiff Ukrainian defenses.
Russia may be switching back to mechanized attacks
The change comes after a bloody year for Russian infantry: more than 400,000 killed or wounded
The Russians spent much of 2025 storing up vehicles, so supply isn’t a problem for now
But vehicular losses could pile up in the coming months, without much change along the front line
Russian tanks and other vehicles are back in action as the weather warms up all along the 1,200-km front line of Russia’s 49-month wider war on Ukraine. But the renewed mechanized offensive is off to a disastrous start for the Russians.
A vehicular assault in eastern Ukraine on Thursday ended in a hardware “massacre,” according to one Ukrainian drone operator. More such massacres are possible, even likely, if Russia’s pivot back to vehicles is a lasting one.
The Russians may be hitting their manpower limit. After 418,000 casualties in 2025 alone, they bury or retire more troops than they recruit. A yearlong pause in mechanized assaults rebuilt vehicle stocks—but the Cold War cupboard that feeds them is running bare. Moscow is trading one dwindling resource for another.
