According to the Russian RIA state news agency, Russia’s military has begun utilizing a terrifying new combat tank in an effort to clamp down on obstinate Ukrainian defenses.
The T-14 Armata have yet to participate in any direct assault operations, although they have been outfitted with additional side armour and their personnel have received “combat coordination” training in Ukraine.
The crew controls the vehicle’s arsenal remotely from an isolated armoured capsule positioned in the front of the hull.
The tank was claimed by its designers to be the world’s first invisible tank in 2015.
According to RIA, the T-14 can reach a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) over a clean stretch of road.
Furthermore, the T-14 is larger and heavier than other Russian tanks, which would make deployment difficult.
According to the British military, Russia would be taking a risk by utilizing the T-14 tank, and it would only be done for propaganda purposes because there are concerns about its combat reliability.
The British military said: “Production is probably only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat.
“Eleven years in development, the programme has been dogged with delays, reduction in planned fleet size, and reports of manufacturing problems.”
It comes as Ukrainian military intelligence has reported Russian troops taking up defensive positions in most areas of the frontline as the Kremlin braces for Kyiv’s anticipated Spring offensive.
Ukrainian head of intelligence Kyrylo Budanov noted in a media interview that Russia appears to be commanding troops to dig in along large sections of the front apart from in the city of Bakhmut where Russian attacks continue.
Budanov told RBC Ukraine: “They have completely switched to positional defence everywhere.
“The only places on the frontline where they are making attempts are in the city of Bakhmut, an attempt to cover the city of Avdiivka from the north, and localized fighting in the city of Marinka.
“Both in Avdiivka and Marinka the tactics are identical to those in Bakhmut – just an attempt to wipe the settlement off the face of the earth.
“And against the backdrop of the lack of success elsewhere, they face the problem that even their ‘deceived’ society needs to see something, some kind of victory.
“This is the only place where they succeed at least.”