The Ground Shakes in Eastern Ukraine As Russia's Biggest Division And Its T-90M Tanks Prepare to Attack

The 90th Tank Division is repositioning for a major river battle

A 90th Tank Division T-90M. Via

Russia’s biggest tank division is on the move. How many T-90M tanks it has—and whether and how it uses them—could shape the fight for Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.

For months, the 90th Tank Division has been on the attack near the border of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts, pushing west and—in the process—slowly closing a wide pincer around the main Ukrainian defenses in and around the fortress city of Pokrovsk to the north in Donetsk.

But there’s a problem for the Russians in the 90th Tank Division’s sector. The Vovcha River forms a natural barrier along the front line midway between Pokrovsk in Donetsk and the similarly named Pokrovs’ke in Dnipropetrovsk.

The river has effectively blocked at least one Russian regiment. The Russian eastern grouping of forces is hoping to end the deadlock—by massing heavy forces in the area … and adding mass and momentum to the assaults toward the river.

“So far we have found evidence for three regiments of the 90th Tank Division moving to the south of the Vovcha River,” Unit Observer noted. Those regiments are the 80th and 6th Tank Regiments and the 228th Motor Rifle Regiment. “We expect the other two regiments—the 239th Tank and 428th Motor Rifle—to arrive soon, as well.”

“Their likely goal is to expand to the west towards the river and cross it in the north towards Novopavlivka,” Unit Observer added. A breakthrough like that would significantly dial up the pressure on Ukrainian forces to the north.

The 90th Tank Division is enormous. “With around 25,000 personnel, it’s by far their biggest division,” analyst Moklasen reported. The division oversees three tank regiments and two or three motor rifle regiments, each with six battalions. On paper, the division could have around 300 tanks—the latest versions of the 51-ton, three-person T-90M, mostly.