1/ It's time to take a look at Russian tank productions and refurbishment rates! Long time delayed, I know, but finally here! This first part of the thread will be about T-54/55s, T-62s, T-64s and T-80s. T-72 and T-90s and specifics on the industry will come in the second part. 
2/ Here’s the previous threads, first about APCs, where I also explained the fundamentals and methodology:
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1937969796319961593
3/ Then IFVs:
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1938330257863455203
4/ As always, first I want to thank @CovertCabal and @A36848080 in particular for helping with the sat imagery. Check Covert’s video on the topic as well!
5/ With the introduction dealt with, and as always too, first I want to make some things clear: we have to consider that for the last year Russia has decisively switched tactics to infantry and light vehicles intensive ones..
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1859677980748022169
6/ Light infantry intense tactics have certainly yielded good results to Russia, as long as they don’t give a shit about the lives of their own men.
https://x.com/RALee85/status/1985661282008383791
8/ Even then, Russia has recently restarted mechanized assaults, tho not with the same intensity as before. With increasingly worse weather, mechanized pushes become feasible and relatively effective once again.
https://x.com/OSINTua/status/1974511060066664794
9/ All that said, Russia has spent this year replenishing their armor fleet and has increased refurb and production rates.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1914235298633990353
10/ While earlier in the war most AFVs taken from storage bases were in good enough condition to be sent to the front without refurbishment, that’s not the case anymore.
11/ As always, I want to stress that not every vehicle refurbished meant there was another one lost in combat. The Russian army expanded massively after November 2022.
https://x.com/HighMarsed/status/1951205846773375138
12/ It’s not just refurbishing and producing tanks, they also repair battle-damaged ones. So it’s not 1:1 to storage bases figures regarding demothballed equipment.
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1915464026798145776
14/ So, let’s now see the rates for each tank type! We shall start by T-62s. We can see that they have become over time in one of the backbones of the Russian tank fleet, per @WarSpotting.
15/ T-62s were already used as the main model for mobilization tanks since 2017/18, related also to supplies to Assad’s Syria.
https://x.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/1863180877959659761
16/ However, T-62s have since late 2022 risen to become one of the backbones of the Russian tank fleet. They’re mainly refurbed and modernized at the 103rd BTRZ, located near Chita.
17/ This base had a huge backlog of T-62s before the war, as we can see.
18/ However, over the war, and related to their increasing usage and loss rates in Ukraine, this factory has seen its T-62 related activity spike.
19/ Just compare these two pictures from 2025:
20/ The piles of scrap are a good indicator as well:
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1938331254585496008
21/ Even today, we can see more T-62s being sent to the 103rd from storage bases, as the backlog is worked through and T-62s given to the army.
24/ I’ve been tracking T-62 demothballing rates at storage bases, and this year has seen a spike in this too (also for other tank types, as we’ll see further below this thread): docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
25/ Also worth noting, as you can see in the T-62 graphics, the 103rd has increasingly become more efficient not just at mere refurbs, but also modernizations.
https://x.com/naalsio26/status/1802528240784785836
26/ There’s barely any standard T-62 losses, but rather modernized T-62M/MV or M/MV Obr. 2022 (cheap mobilization upgrade packages).
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1953321402985001417
27/ Which also makes sense considering it’s been a while since the 103rd BTRZ focused almost exclusively on T-62 and barely does refurbs for other types of AFVs anymore.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1914235298633990353
28/ I believe however that by year we’ve passed the peak of T-62 refurbs. That they’re working on the wrecked T-62 hulls parked at the factory yards for years means the ones in storage are equally terribly preserved and time intensive to reactivate.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1937621639375540420
29/ Therefore, I estimate a refurb/modernization rate of 300-500 T-62s, with 400 being the most realistic figure. This is considering storage shipments, BTRZ activity and sightings of active T-62s both within proper Russia and in Ukraine.
https://x.com/Rhaescuporis/status/1766823068712718638
30/ This might be also related to that contract announced in 2022 about the 103rd BTRZ being ordered 800 T-62s, which by now they surely have achieved:
https://x.com/Rhaescuporis/status/1768803093854978353
31/ Oryx accounts for 311 T-62 losses, and that’s considering 20-30% unpublished losses and lack of mechanized attacks: oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack…
32/ As for the amount of T-62 hull in the 103rd: 583 in 2021, 507 in 2022, 641 in 2023, 534 in 2024 and 356 in 2025.
33/ Next, let’s consider T-54/55s and T-64s. These have never been more than outliers, as T-64s were made in Kharkiv and Russia doesn’t have the industrial capabilities to refurb them, and T-54/55s are simply so old and rare in numbers in storage.
34/ Most T-64s were ex Ukrainian tanks captured by DLPR forces between 2014 and 2022, and some Russia kept in good state in storage and gave to these proxies to keep their tank fleet operational.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1978388609771139452
35/ Ukrainian T-64s captured at the end of the Kursk offensive probably replenished the almost extinct Russian T-64 forces.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1968599378181939634
36/ This is probably why we’ve also seen some movement of stored T-64s, something so rare for most of the war. Still, we’re talking about two digit numbers.
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1976194155589271901
37/ And we’ve also seen some T-64s in footage of Russian repair depots. But that’s probably all we can expect for this tank type.
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1963874073508790317
38/ As for T-54/55s, despite memes their usage and losses has been minimal so far. No wonder, they were retired from service over a decade and half ago and there were barely over 300 left in storage, mostly in bad condition.
39/ Russia probably kept them around to have a source of spare parts for countries that still operate T-55s and require maintenance. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-54/T-55…
40/ However, recently we’ve also seen a spike in the movement of remaining T-54/55s in storage.
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1986053753716478056
41/ And “high” (for T-54/55 previous figures) numbers of losses recently (see the graphic above), with footage of T-55s being delivered to the army:
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1956692906493817217
42/ T-54/55s are probably repaired at their own storage bases. With such low numbers remaining, we can’t expect much from them.
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1913208520587026595
43/ I have the theory that until now these were being used as training tanks, but with an increasing number of more modern tanks available, they’ve decided to dump them on the battlefield:
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1981071255118737540
44/ I also think some were used to convert them to BTS ARVs, as there were too few of those in storage for the amount of them Russia has lost so far.
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1830206063175413797
45/ Again, don’t expect many Russian T-54/55s and T-64s destroyed in Ukraine. Their time has long passed.
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1840325132851536353
46/ Next comes the T-80. By now everyone has come to know these tanks. So many lost in Ukraine. Before the war Russia just had some hundreds in active service, but kept many more well preserved in storage.
47/ While no longer in production since the end of the Soviet Union, Omsktransmash has kept refurbishing and modernizing them all these decades (among other things).
48/ With 1,225 T-80 lost as of date by Oryx, one can already safely assume Omsk has had a lot of work done these years!
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1821986947377852457
49/ As the 103rd BTRZ with T-62s and seen in the graphics, Omsk does not only refurb T-80B/BVs, but also modernizes them to BVM/BVM Obr. 2022 standards.
https://x.com/T_90AK/status/1858102075223097486
50/ Not only is there no shortage of footage both from shipments in and out of the factory (tho not as common as those of T-90Ms and BMP-3s), sat imagery of the factory and deployment and losses in Ukraine.
53/ And of course, the almost total disappearance of T-80s from storage bases!
54/ But we also have other news that also point to this, such as the restart of mass production of GTD-1250 tank engines that T-80B/BV/BVMs use:
https://x.com/distant_earth83/status/1781635991679193188
55/ Refurb and modernization has been so high that barely some poor T-80B/BV hulls remain in storage, and they have probably even used up most stored T-80UDs (same problem with these as with T.64s) to get spare parts for B/BVs.
56/ In fact, in this image we’re probably seeing some cannibalized T-80UD turrets at Omsk:
57/ But back on Omsk’s capabilities: back in 2021, the only T-80s you could spot were these 52 ones, parked there for years and clearly cannibalized. Nothing would change during 2022, either.
58/ And in 2023, suddenly, T-80s everywhere, in massive numbers, waiting to be refurbished or modernized to BVM standard.
59/ And even more T-80s in the backlog in 2024.
60/ Do consider that the lower part of this footage wasn't updated and it's still from 2023. You can see the line where the two images become blurry.
61/ But even then, we can see there was a lot of activity between May 2023 and May 2024. Even those 52 cannibalized hulls were finally put to use, either completely scrapped or refurbished. You can see some missing and a pile of turrets a bit north of them.
62/ And weirdly enough, some T-62s and even a solitary T-90 among all T-80s.
63/ And then, in March 2025 the amount of T-80s waiting in the yards finally decreased, with even some fewer by April and May.
64/ Likely, the factory is already feeling the running out of viable hulls and is now doing extra work to prep the remaining ones sitting outside the factory proper.
65/ Even them, the sheer amount of T-80s they refurbed and modernized so far means that Russia will still field T-80s for the foreseeable future if attrition remains at the current rate.
66/ Like T-62s (and also T-72s and T-90Ms), we have so much footage of T-80s in rear units, training and stationed within Russian territory.
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1884288097317445758
69/ And what’s more important, Omsk doesn’t just refurb T-80B/BVs, it also modernizes a lot to T-80BVM and BVM Obr. 2022 (the latter being the cheaper mobilization-rate upgrade package).
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1870450116148265017
70/ I estimate it’s 50/50 between refurbed and modernized tanks.
https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1870288731380559944
71/ Overall, Omsk has seen: 52 T-80 hulls both in 2021 and 2022, 381 in 2023, 455 in 2024 and 394 in 2025.
72/ Finally, it’s worth pointing out that the 61st BTRZ near Leningrad also does refurbs on T-80B/BVs AND T-80Us.
74/ The 61st has by now cleared its prewar backlog of over 300 of T-80s, as you can see in the image by the low amount of armored vehicles remaining here:
75/ However, so far it doesn’t appear this plant has done heavy lifting as part of the overall tank repair effort, and what little footage we’ve got mostly shows T-72s.
https://x.com/Rhaescuporis/status/1970140025787474154
76/ The big question is: what will Russia do when one of its main sources of tanks completely runs out in the medium term?
https://x.com/HighMarsed/status/1797564609676947673
77/ No longer are we seeing this kind of abominations, as hulls have become scarcer:
https://x.com/RALee85/status/1840460598804619601
78/ The answer was given by Russia itself a while ago: restart production, under the lead of UVZ.
https://x.com/AndreiBtvt/status/1700840686780612919
79/ However, so far that hasn’t happened, but we keep getting hints that they’re indeed planning on doing that, not least because T-80 hulls will also be used for other systems such as TOS thermobaric systems, 2S19s, etc.
https://x.com/AndreiBtvt/status/1967179079469175005
80/ Not to mention the already mentioned engine production.
81/ In total, I estimate 12-15 T-80BVs and 12-15 T-80BVMs delivered each month; over 300 in total per year.
82/ And as for people about to bark about Russian industrial capabilities being shit, even if there are, things like unfortunately these happen:
https://x.com/Rebel44CZ/status/1944759387555328079
83/ And this:
https://x.com/GrosTaga90/status/1980324441415655481
84/ That’s it for now! I’ll try to write up ASAP the second half of this tank BTRZ thread regarding T-72s, T-90s and specifics on production and future developments! So far, this is a summary of what’s been discussed:
85/ Hopefully I won't remember some data I forgot to write up as soon as I press the publish button lol.
86/ As always, kudos to everyone who helped, who by now are too many people to mention, by in this case specially @WillKnowler, @Rhaescuporis and @T_90AK for obvious reasons, and also Raptorama for making the graphics! Thanks again to everyone!
@WillKnowler @Rhaescuporis @T_90AK 87/ Of course I was missing something... In multiple images of the 103rd you can see that tanks waiting dispatch usually are around 30 odd units, which leads me to estime 400 T-62s refurbished this year:
https://x.com/Jonpy99/status/1986416120560296175
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