Russia Fears T-14 Armata Tanks' Reputation Would Be Damaged in Ukraine: UK

Russia is likely withholding its prestigious T-14 Armata tanks from the front lines in Ukraine to avoid "potential reputation damage" if the war machines do not perform well in combat, according to British military intelligence.

The T-14 Armata, first revealed in 2015, is touted as Moscow's most advanced main battle tank (MBT). The vehicles reportedly made a brief debut in Russia's war against Ukraine in July 2023 before being quickly withdrawn by the Kremlin, which said that the tanks were sent into combat as a "test."

On Monday, Russian military executive and Kremlin ally Sergey Chemezov said that the T-14 was in use by Moscow's armed forces, although the MBT would not be deployed to Ukraine due to its high cost. Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense company Rostec, described the machinery as "too valuable," adding that it was easier for Moscow's army to produce the Soviet-era T-19 tanks at the moment.

U.K.'s Ministry of Defense offered a different reason for why Russia has yet to put the Armatas to battle, however, saying in an intelligence update Tuesday that the T-14 has not been deployed to Ukraine "due to the potential reputation damage of losing the 'prestige' vehicle in combat."

The British defense update added that losing T-14 tanks would require Russia "to producer greater quantities of MBTs which can only be satisfied by other variants."

Newsweek reached out to Russia's defense ministry via email for comment on Tuesday.

While Russia has recently held momentum in Ukraine, its armed forces have suffered major losses throughout the war. U.K.'s defense ministry said earlier this week that over 355,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since the war broke out in February 2022, and estimated that Moscow was losing 983 soldiers a day during fighting in February.

Moscow has also suffered major equipment losses, including 6,640 tanks and over 10,188 artillery systems in the war, according to Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has also taken out a significant portion of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in recent months, including sinking another patrol ship overnight on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late last month that 31,000 of his soldiers have been killed in the war. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in January that Ukraine has also endured 29,330 civilian casualties.

Russia's Ministry of Defense also claimed earlier this week that it has taken out over 14,193 Ukrainian drones, 15,300 of Ukraine's tanks and other armored vehicles, 476 surface-to-air missile systems and other equipment since the war began more than two years ago.