Ukraine Claims to Have ‘Hit’ 1,159 Russian Tanks in 2025

Key Points – Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi announced on May 17th that Ukrainian forces have “hit” 1,159 Russian tanks and over 2,500 other armored vehicles since the start of 2025.

-While these figures are unverified and likely higher than visually confirmed losses (Oryx database lists roughly 3,984 total Russian tank losses since February 2022), they highlight the intense armored attrition.

-Ukraine, operating a mixed fleet of Soviet-era and Western tanks, has also suffered significant losses (around 1,181 tanks, largely to Russian drones).

-In response, Ukrainian forces are adapting tactics, shifting from large assaults to smaller, dispersed unit movements with enhanced combined arms support.

The Ukraine War Is a Tank War

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on May 17 that Ukrainian forces have “hit” 1,159 Russian tanks since the start of 2025, alongside more than 2,500 other armored vehicles.

Writing on Facebook, Syrskyi said that Ukrainian soldiers “continue to destroy the enemy and his equipment.”

“Since the beginning of this year alone, the Defense Forces have hit more than one thousand occupying tanks (1,159) and more than two and a half thousand war-armored vehicles (2,510),” he continued.

While Syrskyi did not clarify whether these tanks were destroyed or merely damaged, the General Staff of Ukraine reported the following day that Russia’s total tank losses since the February 2022 invasion had reached 10,832. These figures, however, remain unverified.

Before launching its full-scale invasion, Russia was believed to possess around 3,300 operational tanks, according to the Military Balance 2021 database. The fleet included various models such as the T-72, T-80, and T-90 series, along with their respective variants.

If Ukraine’s estimates are accurate, it would suggest that not only was Russia’s original deployment completely wiped out, but that further reinforcements have also been eliminated.

Can Ukraine Keep Up?

While Ukraine’s exact operational tank count is difficult to determine, open-source estimates suggest that the current fleet remains a mix of Soviet-era tanks that have been used throughout the conflict (T-64, T-72, T-80) as well as Western-supplied armor (Leopard 2, Challenger 2, M1 Abrams). While the generous and frequent deliveries of Western tanks have proven essential for Ukraine’s war capabilities, these deliveries have also introduced logistical and maintenance challenges that were initially avoided by relying on familiar Soviet-era platforms.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine is believed to have lost at least 1,181 tanks. According to visual confirmations published by the Oryx database, 859 Ukrainian tanks have been destroyed and 79 damaged, largely through the use of Russian drones. An additional 98 tanks have been abandoned and 145 captured by Russian forces.

While at first glance the loss of 1,181 Ukrainian tanks may seem stark compared to Ukraine’s claim of “hitting” 1,159 Russian tanks since the beginning of this year alone, it’s important to note that Syrskyi did not confirm that all Russian tanks hit were destroyed or made inoperable. Additionally, while Oryx’s database is based on visual confirmation, meaning that tanks must be shown to be destroyed, abandoned, or captured in photos or videos to be counted as “lost,” Ukraine’s claims about Russian losses are based on internal battlefield reports. Ukraine’s claims, therefore, have not been independently verified and are likely to be deliberately generous.

According to the same independent analysts at Oryx, some 3,984 Russian tanks have been visually documented as destroyed or damaged since the beginning of the war, far below the Ukrainian military’s claims.

Nonetheless, Ukrainian forces have proven particularly capable in defending their tank assets, with reports from March this year suggesting a roughly 3.4-to-1 tank loss ratio favoring Ukraine.

As of May 2025, Australia has begun the process of delivering 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a military aid package worth AU$245 million, which was first announced in October 2024. The tanks, which were retired from the Australian Army, will supplement Ukraine’s existing Abrams fleet and bolster its overall cache of tanks, but it is unclear when delivery will be complete and when the tanks will be fully deployed.

Ukraine Finds New Ways to Use Tanks

While procurement continues, Ukrainian officials are also in the process of reassessing tank usage due to heavy drone-related losses and the evolving dynamics on the battlefield. Ukraine has already reportedly withdrawn some U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks from the frontline due to vulnerability to FPV drones and high maintenance needs. The reassessment means that, while tank losses remain a problem for Ukraine, its military is shifting to more agile tactics. Specifically, Ukraine is shifting away from using tanks in large, concentrated assaults, which make them an easy target for drones, and instead using faster and smaller unit movements that are harder to detect and destroy.

Additionally, Ukrainian forces are spreading tanks out across wider areas, reducing the risk of a single drone or artillery strike knocking out multiple tanks at once. By deploying tanks as part of combined arms operations, working more closely alongside foot soldiers and mobile air defenses, Ukrainian forces are also better able to identify and eliminate threats from drone operators and ambush teams by utilizing infantry, shoulder-fired missiles like MANPADS, and mobile anti-drone units.

About the Author:

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.