The world’s second army... from behind: 5 myths about russian military power
The problems of enemy equipment one cannot hide
Not only has russia’s war against Ukraine become a testing ground where Soviet and Western schools of weapon development met in battle, but also the place where the West was able to see all the russian military power they had been frightened with for the last 20 years. And the reality turned out to be very prosaic and a little predictable. Mind's military expert Mykhailo Zhirokhov told us, how certain samples of military equipment, considered by russia to be the most up-to-date and, in their opinion, to pose a serious threat to NATO, or what 5 myths about russian military strength should not be trusted, .
1.T-90M Proryv Main Battle Tank
Expectation
On 23rd March 2023, Dmitriy Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the russian federation, claimed the superiority of russian tanks T-90M Proryv (‘Breakthrough’) over Western competitors – M1 Abrams and Leopard. The former president called russian vehicles the best in the world and announced that factories would produce one and a half thousand units of tanks by 2023.
Reality
As of 21st May 2023, according to the Oryx portal, in the course of the russian-Ukrainian war, the russians lost 19 T-90M tanks, two of which fell into the hands of the Ukrainian military.
Having analysed them at the Centre for the Study of Trophy and Perspective Weapons and Military Equipment, military engineers held a briefing in March 2023 called "Tank T-90M – a failure instead of breakthrough".
The general conclusion turned out to be very unpleasant for the russians: in essence, the T-90M Proryv is an old T-72B tank with a few design solutions that were stolen from Western technology or purchased in the West, but are presented as russian.
russian T-90M tank destroyed by Ukrainian paratroopers in Donetsk Oblast on 18th February 2023.
In more detail, it looks like this:
- The V-92C2F engine is a derivative of the V-2 model from 1937 T-34, so it is morally outdated;
- russia claimed that they installed another automatic retracting mechanism and placed the ammunition in the rear part of the turret to protect the crew in case of enemy shell hit. In reality, the mechanism from the T-72 remained unchanged, the ammunition was indeed placed separately, but the crew needs to leave the tank to reload the ammo and get the shells. And all this during the battle!
- The Relict explosive reactive armour complex is a copy of the Soviet Contact system. The only solution from the designers with the armour was additional armour building-up, which worsened the flotation indicators;
- Due to Western sanctions, the resource of electronics in the T-90M has become much lower. russians are forced to use electronics from household appliances;
- Radio communication on the T-90M, as before, is represented by Soviet-produced radios.
2. Kh-47M2 Kinzhal Aviation Missile Complex
Expectation
President putin gave a brief description of the Kinzhal (NATO reporting name Killjoy) in his speech to the Federal Assembly on 1st March 2018: the speed is ten times the speed of sound; range – over 2000 km, the missile manoeuvres at all parts of the trajectory, allowing it to overcome all air and missile defence systems; it is equipped with conventional and nuclear warheads.
In the spring of 2018, Deputy Minister of Defence of the russian federation yuriy borisov announced that the multifunctional warhead of the complex allows it to hit both stationary and moving targets, including enemy ships.
Demonstration of MiG-31K with a mock-up of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile at a parade in moscow, 2018.
Reality
On the night of 16th May 2023, the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces repelled one of the most massive russian air attacks.
All 18 missiles were shot down, including six hypersonic Kinzhals. Ukraine’s military stated that all these missiles were shot down using the US Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
The information was confirmed in Washington.
3. Orion Reconnaissance and Strike Drone
Expectation
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by the Kronstadt company is the first reconnaissance-strike complex in the rf. The development of the UAV began in 2011, and in 2019, the device passed successful tests in Syria. Orion can carry air bombs, guided missiles, an optoelectronic system, a camera, a radar system, and more. The Orion UAV is one of the best drones in russia, which reduces the technological gap in equipping the russian army and Western armies.
The Orion UAV shot down on the front on 9th February 2023
Reality
During the russian-Ukrainian war, out of eight manufactured devices, four were shot down by the Ukrainian air defence system, the latest one being in April 2023.
4. AK-12 Assault Rifle
Expectation
Engineers of the Kalashnikov concern carried out a great deal of work and managed to convince the military of the necessity to adopt a new, modern weapon. Since late 2018, the AK-12 has begun to enter the armed forces of the rf, with a total of 4,000 pieces delivered within a year.
The automatic has been intensively demonstrated at international exhibitions where foreign partners show interest in the weapon. The first export contract for the supply of the AK-12 has already been signed with Armenia. AK-12 initiated a new generation of automatics under the Kalashnikov brand. The concern plans to produce a whole series of products.
Trophy AK-12 assault rifles
Reality
A huge number of such assault rifles fell into the hands of the Ukrainian Defence Forces as trophies after the Battle of Kyiv in February-March 2022.
Upon closer inspection, it was found that the rifle has a complex firing mechanism, is quite difficult to disassemble, and has maintenance issues.
Due to these difficulties, russian soldiers often do not maintain it properly – they do not clean the gas vent, whose design was changed compared to standard AK rifles. All of this leads to the rifles corroding, losing properties, and falling into disrepair.
5. Ka-52 Alligator Attack Helicopter
Expectation
The aircraft is characterised by its exceptional manoeuvrability, modern avionics, and wide range of weapons. According to experts, it is impossible to imagine russia's army aviation without the Ka-52. The Alligator's advantage is high crew protection, as the helicopter received substantial armour and modern ejection seats.
One of the first Ka-52 helicopters shot down in the Kyiv Oblast. February 2022.
Reality
As of May 2023, it has been confirmed that no fewer than 34 Ka-52 units were lost during the russo-Ukrainian war, representing over 25% of all combat-ready helicopters of the type in the russian army's arsenal. Moreover, most of the crew members were killed. It's worth noting that these helicopters were shot down not only by man-portable air-defence systems (mainly Stingers) but also by the domestically produced Stugna-P anti-tank system (several instances of Ka-52s being shot down at low altitude were recorded).