1/ This thread aims to provide some open-source and reproducible facts about Russian pre-war tank storage. ⬇️
2/ The main reason I am writing this thread is that the only other source (except our previous counts) is The Military Balance 2022 (10200 tanks: 7000 T-72, 3000 T-80 and 200 T-90), which they have later corrected in TMB2023 and TMB2024.
3/ The IISS lists 5000 tanks of all types in storage for 2023 and 4000 for 2024, which are both very reasonable numbers. This is cleary not only an adjustment of the numbers caused by the war, but also a re-evaluation. Sadly these numbers are only quoted rarely.
4/ The first step to estimate russian pre-war tank stocks is to look at their storage bases on Google Earth and count the tank hulls that can be found there. All satelite images used in this thread are screenshots from Google Earth and are therfore accesible for free to everyone.
5/ This is the 769th (formerly 227th) storage base near Ulan-Ude at 51.892417,107.527018. The base held 1257 tanks on 18.09.2021. The second largest storage base is the 111th located near Komsomolsk-on-Amur at 50.694524,136.869190, storing 1035 tanks on 17.05.2021.
6/ Next up is the 349th storage base in Topchikha at 52.811535,83.136253. There were roughly 996 tanks at this storage base on 10.06.2021. On the right you can see an image of the 22nd (58.464304,41.510545), which held 749 tanks on 19.06.2021.
7/ 2456th (or 103rd) near Yarkovo (54.770813,82.51408) with 595 tanks on 19.07.2020. 2544th near Kosulka (56.170800,91.451610) with 472 tanks on 12.05.2021. 1311th near Yekaterinburg (56.977188, 60.608602) with 355 tanks on 14.07.2021.
8/ 6018th/3018th in Kamyshlov (56.845414,62.734262) holding 234 tanks in 21.09.2021, 1295th in Arsenjev (44.127030,133.281020) holding 286 tanks in 15.09.2021 and a smaller base near Omsk (54.859518,73.398397) with 108 tanks in 02.05.2021 (possibly active units).
9/ Here are four more smaller bases holding a total of 149: 187th (54.925696,99.075996) 11.09.2021; 237th (46.813242,134.276677) 20.10.2021; 230th (46.767314,142.740975) 17.10.2021;
245th (45.456250,133.416983) 17.05.2021. All of them could contain some active equipment.
10/ In total there are 6230 tanks visible at these storage bases, but there is obviously a lot of room for human error when counting the tanks, which is why the real number is likely somewhere between 6000 and 6500.
12/ Furthermore there are three larger tank repair base (BTRZs) which had had 900-1000 tanks parked before the invasion: 61st (59.844705,30.002332) 16.10.2020; 103rd (51.916577,113.649448) 15.04.2021; 560th (50.723394,128.703350) 20.09.2021.
13/ In addition to these you can also find garages suitable for long term tank storage at these bases and it is impossible to know what was inside of them. There is theoretically space for 3000 tanks but some of the garages will also hold other equipment types.
14/ If you look at the bases on Google Earth and click through different dates you will notice that some tanks have missing parts, others haven't moved in years or are parked very closely together, which esentially makes maintenance impossible. Some examples below.
15/ Footage from the ground (found on VK, OK or Instagram) further proves that many of the tanks stored outside are not in good shape and will require extensive work to be reactiavted and some of the tanks likely can't even be brought back at all.
16/ I personally believe that most of the tanks that were at the BTRZs when the war started were there to be scrapped or used as spare part donors. Below you can see some ground footage from the 61st and 103rd BTRZ showing that the tanks there were in very bad shape.
16/ The ground footage also proves that Russia had many different types of tanks in storage including many older T-72 variants, T-62s, T-64s and T54/55s and not only the newer variants that were in active service.
17/ Conclusions:
I: Russia had at least 7000-7500 full tank hulls at the storage bases and BTRZs in 2021.
II: There is physical space for 3000 tanks in garages, but the number is likely much lower (<2000), since some garages had IFVs, ARVs, trucks and other vehicles.
18/ III: Ground footages proofs that the storage bases had a lot of differnt types from T-54 to T-90.
IV: A large part of the tanks stored outside (especially at BTRZs) are not in good shape and will need extensive repairs or cant be brought back at all.
19/ I hope this thread has been sufficiently transparent and open about all apects leading to my conclusions, so it can be used as a source when discussing russian pre-war tank stockpiles, eventhough the numbers are provided by an anonymous account on Twitter/X.
20/ For the people that just discovered this account here is what is left of the stored tanks.
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