Last October, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 70 years old – the same age as many of the Russian T-54/55 series tanks that were taken out of storage earlier this year. This month, images circulated on social media that suggested the first of those tanks had arrived in Ukraine and could soon be deployed in combat. What could be even more telling is that there has been speculation in the intelligence community that Russia is sending those decades-old T-54/55 series tanks to Ukraine with little to no upgrades or enhancements. In other words, the T-54/55 tanks being sent in have barely received a fresh coat of paint before being made ready for the front. Though Russia will have significantly larger numbers of T-54/55 series tanks to throw into the fight, they’ll be facing a far more capable opponent.

Source: Forbes April 20, 2023 21:08 UTC