T‑62m tanks: Last resort in Russia's desperate defence against Ukraine

The Russians desperately try to mobilize forces to halt the Ukrainians' advance. To do this, they are pulling everything that can shoot from the area into the Kursk region because redeploying forces from other front sections in Ukraine would take at least a few days. As a result, even older models like the T-62M tanks appear in Kursk's suburbs. We examine the value of these tanks on a modern battlefield.

The Ukrainians totally surprised the Russians by attacking with forces much larger than those the Russians had allocated for this region. This forced the Russians to pull equipment and forces from the entire area or offensive positions north of Kharkiv.

Due to the high activity of Ukrainian air defence, the Russians are having trouble using aviation. The well-proven method of using guided aerial bombs from the FAB family with UMPK modules is not very suitable for attacking moving targets, and helicopters are falling victim not only to handheld anti-aircraft systems like Stinger or Piorun but even FPV drones.

This means that the only remaining strategy is to rely on ground forces, which also presents a challenge for the Russians. The Ukrainians are attempting to attack convoys using, for example, GMLRS M30A1 missiles, and images of tanks abandoned by their crews are appearing online. It can be assumed that after entering the combat region, the crew of the T-62M, visible in the photo below, may follow suit.

Due to limitations in production and refurbishment of newer models from stockpiles, the Russians have had to resort to older machines to make up for equipment losses. Initially, the Russians mainly pulled T-80 and T-90 tanks from stockpiles rather than T-72s, possibly due to the latter's popularity worldwide.

Given the rampant corruption in Russia, the actual condition of T-72s is most likely the least consistent with documentation. However, during the war, the number of operational T-80, T-90, and T-72 tanks capable of rapid repairs has decreased, so they turned to the T-62 family, which is an evolution of the T-54/55. These tanks were not exported and, due to their simpler construction, are easier to refurbish. Furthermore, Russia gained access to a vast stock of spare parts from North Korea, expediting repairs.

As a result, a significant number of these tanks have appeared on the front, and they are increasingly being destroyed in battle. One could say their only advantage nowadays is their existence and the fact that they have a 115 mm smoothbore cannon capable of firing high-explosive fragmentation rounds for a few kilometers. Alternatively, they can fire 9K116-2 Sheksna anti-tank guided missiles.

However, their advantages end there, as their armour, even with added composite blocks on the turret and hull and Kontakt-1 reactive armour blocks, does not provide sufficient protection against modern anti-tank weapons.

The same goes for situational awareness, as most units, except for a few, do not have passive night or thermal sighting devices. Considering the extensive presence of modern anti-tank weapons among Ukrainian infantry and the activity of FPV drones, the T-62M stands little chance.