What Are T-72B Tanks? Morocco Supplies Ukraine With Upgraded Weaponry

Morocco has provided Ukraine's armed forces with "modernized" Soviet T-72B main battle tanks, according to reports, although the move is unlikely to be a "game changer" for Kyiv.

The north African country has promised an "unknown number" of T-72B tanks to Ukraine, the Algerian news outlet Mena Defense reported on Sunday.

"About 20 units were sent to the battlefield a week ago," according to the website.

The outlet said the main battle tanks had been "modernized" in the Czech Republic" ahead of arriving on Ukraine's front lines. They were purchased by Rabat from Belarus between 1999 and 2000, according to reports.

According to a press release by Excalibur Army Company, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the military manufacturer on January 9. The Czech company said Fiala had "left a message" to "the brave defenders of Ukraine," on one "of the modernized T-72EA tanks, which will be delivered to Ukraine."

Different variants of the T-72s have been widely observed in Ukraine, used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces. On November 4, 2022, the Pentagon said the U.S., in a trilateral agreement with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, would pay for Prague to upgrade 45 Soviet-era T-72 tanks for use in Ukraine.

The aging Soviet models fall short of the Western tanks Ukraine has long requested, including the Challenger 2 tanks—which they will receive from the U.K.—and the German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

The T-72 is "the most widely used main battle tank in the world" and has been present "in all the major wars of the last 20 years," according to the U.K.-based Tank Museum. The T-72M1, one of many iterations of the T-72, can travel up to 37 miles per hour and weighs around 41.5 tonnes.

On December 19, the Belgium-based International Peace Information Service think tank said that Morocco had "aligned itself with the U.S. and the E.U.," but did not mention directly sending tanks.

"It will be the first African country to deliver spare parts of the Soviet T-72 tanks to Ukraine," it added.

The Center for European Policy Analysis said on December 21 that the delivery of Moroccan military aid to Ukraine marked "a significant setback for Russia's attempts to foster African neutrality."

According to Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and professor at King's College London, U.K., all main battle tanks would be of use to Ukraine at the moment, "even the very old Soviet-era models, as long as they are upgraded and properly maintained."

He told Newsweek that more T-72 tanks of any variety "will not be game changers for Ukraine in the coming Russian offensive they are facing."

According to Financial Times, while Ukraine does have its own fleet of Soviet-era tanks, it has lost a number of them to enemy fire. Quoting the European Council on Foreign Relations, the newspaper said Ukraine is possibly losing as many as 130 tanks a month.

"The political significance is interesting, however, since it shows how many western countries are willing to contribute to Ukraine's war effort—presumably at U.S. urging in Morocco's case," he argued.

"While most of the Arab world—and Israel—is holding back from active support for Ukraine, and some are quietly pro-Putin in the conflict, Morocco is obviously prepared to make a tangible gesture," he added, commenting it will be "interesting to see the reaction of other Arab states."

The international response to the war, and decisions to provide military aid, will largely depend on which side emerges stronger in the coming months of the conflict, according to Clarke.

"The 'who will win' question is always more important than the 'who is right' question in the circumstances of international war. That's why the outcome of this next phase of fighting will be so important outside Ukraine," Clarke said.