Russia replenishing armored vehicle losses with old T-62 tanks – UK intel

The UK Ministry of Defense said this in its latest intelligence update published on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

According to the update, there is a realistic possibility that even units of the 1st Guards Tank Army (1 GTA), supposedly Russia's premier tank force, will be re-equipped with T-62s to make up for previous losses. These units had previously been due to receive the next-generation T-14 Armata MBT from 2021.

British intelligence said that in recent days, Russian BTR-50 armored personnel carriers, first fielded in 1954, had also been identified deployed in Ukraine for the first time.

According to the ministry, since summer 2022, approximately 800 T-62s have been taken from storage and some have received upgraded sighting systems which will highly likely improve their effectiveness at night.

"However, both these vintage vehicle types will present many vulnerabilities on the modern battlefield, including the absence of modern explosive reactive armor," the report said.