Russia's resources are running out. They are taking Cold War equipment out of warehouses

Russian arms plants have started to modernize older versions of the T-72 tank due to the losses incurred and the exhaustion of stocks of newer vehicles, the Ukrainian website Militarny reported.

The change in the situation is indicated by photos from the Russian arms plant Uralvagonzavod, published on Telegram by Ukrainian analyst Andriy Tarasenko, quoted by the Military portal. In his opinion, Russia began to modernize older T-72A tanks due to the exhaustion of T-72B stocks.

The possibility of such a situation was reported in September 2025 by the Defense Express website, pointing out that several hundred T-72A tanks had been delivered to the Uralvagonzavod plant in the city of Nizhny Tagil (Sverdlovsk Oblast in the Asian part of Russia). The vehicles have been stored since the Cold War, usually without protection against weather conditions, which requires a comprehensive renovation before modernization.

The Russian arms industry has been modernizing older versions of the T-72 for several years, including: by installing newer fire control, communication and observation systems, as well as additional armor. By 2036, at least 800 tanks are to be modernized in this way – to the version marked as T-72B3. In addition, 1,118 new T-90M and T-90M2 tanks are to be produced or modernized between 2027 and 2029. (PAP)

mad/ sp/