A large number of Soviet-era tanks have been stored at the depot, reports the independent Russian newspaper The Moscow Times.
More than 40 percent of the vehicles in Russia’s largest tank depot have been moved out during the war of aggression, according to an independent Russian newspaper The Moscow Times.
The newspaper calculated the number of vehicles at the Vagžanovo depot, located near the city of Ulan-Ude in Siberia, from satellite images of the Google Earth service.
With an area of about 11 square kilometers, Vagžanovo is the largest of the dozen or so known armored vehicle depots in Russia. Most of the vehicles are stored under the open sky.
Soviet tanks
According to the newspaper, before the start of the war of aggression in September 2022, approximately 3,840 battle tanks and other armored vehicles were stored in the open air. In November 2022 there were about 2,600 and in May 2023 about 2,270.
Approximately 1,570 vehicles have therefore been moved. In addition, there are covered shelters in the area where it is possible to store approximately 400 vehicles.
Based on photographs obtained by The Moscow Times, at least large numbers of T-62 tanks, manufactured between 1962 and 1975, are stored in the area.
The vehicles stored in the open air of the depot appear to be in poor condition. According to the newspaper, about half of the vehicles were missing a gun turret or had visible damage.
– They have probably been taken away and sent to workshops to be renovated, estimates a researcher at the Swedish National Defense University who is familiar with the matter Johan Huovinen For Dagens Nyheter.
Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks
Russia has sought to restore Soviet-era vehicles to serviceable condition, as it has lost a significant portion of its new vehicles during the war.
T-62 tanks have also been seen at the front in Ukraine. The wagon is obsolete for combat use, but they can be used, for example, to support a fortification system.
According to the Oryx website, which calculates equipment losses, Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks during the war of aggression.