Russia’s T-90M tank might have been destroyed in Ukraine.

Photos from the site indicate that the T-90M Proryv-3, Russia’s most advanced main combat tank, was completely destroyed in Kharkov region.

The T-90M Proryv-3, Russia’s most advanced main combat tank, was entirely destroyed in Kharkov province, according to photos from the site.
llia Ponomarenko, a war correspondent for the Kyiv Independent, posted an image on Twitter yesterday of a T-90M main combat tank in Kharkov province, northeastern Ukraine, blazing black and smouldering behind a colleague reporting.

The T-90M Proryv-3 is the most modern tank in the Russian army today; however, the Ukrainian army does not have one. This could be the first time a Russian T-90M has been destroyed in combat in Ukraine, but the armaments employed in the strike are unknown.

The Russian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian military have yet to respond to the news.

On April 25, the Russian National Guard posted a photo of a T-90M wrapped in camouflage cloth that was used in the Ukraine conflict. Although the exact number of Russian T-90Ms transported to Ukraine is unknown, observers believe that this step indicates that Moscow is beginning to mobilise the most advanced army weaponry for the campaign. The T-90M Proryv-3 is a heavily modified version of the T-90A main battle tank, including several new technologies pioneered on the T-90MS export model. It has a more powerful fire control computer and an automated target acquisition system than before, allowing it to attack multiple targets in complicated combat situations.

The T-90M replaces the T-90A’s Kontakt-5 variant with upgraded composite armour and Relikt explosive reactive armour modules installed on the front and side of the vehicle. This armour can reduce APFSDS shell penetration by 50% and deactivate the HEAT warhead’s double-explosive capability. When compared to the T-90A, the Shtora-1 passive protection mechanism on the T-90M is greatly reduced, making it more difficult for the enemy to destroy the device. The first batch of T-90M tanks was commissioned for the 2nd Guards Motorized Infantry Division of the Russian army in early 2020, with about 100 units handed over. This is the most modern tank model in the Russian armed forces, in the context of the new generation T-14 Armata super tank which is still in the testing phase and has not been handed over to military units.

Russia withdrew its soldiers from the area around Kiev and northern Ukraine in early April, focusing on accomplishing the aim of “full control of the Donbass” and southern Ukraine. According to experts, this development might lead to years of fighting.

Russia has made some gains in eastern Ukraine, according to US officials, but development is slow and uneven across the front lines, with Russian soldiers “advancing barely a few kilometres a day.”

(Photo: Twitter/IAPonomarenko)