Summary and Key Points: Russia has lost its 100th T-90M, the most advanced main battle tank, in the Ukraine war, according to open-source intelligence site Oryx. This milestone was reached amidst ongoing heavy losses of Russian tanks, with Ukrainian forces recently capturing another T-90M intact.

-The T-90M, a modernized version of the Soviet-era design, boasts advanced features like a 125 mm smoothbore gun and multi-layered armor but suffers from a critical design flaw with its autoloader, which can cause catastrophic turret explosions.

-This flaw led to the destruction of the 100th T-90M, marking a significant loss for Russia in the conflict.

Russia Loses 100th T-90M Tank in Ukraine War: A Grim Milestone

Russia has lost thousands of tanks in Ukraine. According to open-source military intelligence website Oryx, the Kremlin this month lost its 100th T-90M, its most advanced main battle tank.

"The Oryx database broke through the 100 lost Russian T90M tanks. And as a celebration, let's have a classic T90M loss!," social media account @ChallengerInUA reported via a post on X last week.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Oryx has employed publicly available information to track confirmed losses by both sides.

The loss of the 100th T-90 damaged or destroyed came just days after Ukrainian forces claimed they captured another T-90M Proryv tank intact.

"Wolverine-tankers from the hunting brigade named after Oleksa Dovbush, on one of the sectors where soldiers perform combat tasks, managed to capture a tank in practically [full-up] working condition," Ukrainian forces announced via a post on Telegram, while sharing images of the tank.

Advanced MBT or Metal Coffin?

Russia touts the T-90M as a modernized version of an MBT that it sees as equal to the U.S.-made M1A1 Abrams and the German Leopard 2A7. Moreover, the T-90 has been described as being either the last Soviet-designed tank or the first Russian-made MBT. The latest variant in the T-90 series is the T-90M (referred to as the Proryv-3 in Russia).

As reported by the Kyiv Post, the T-90M Proryv is noted for being armed with a 2A46 125 mm smoothbore main gun equipped with a stabilization system, advanced panoramic sights, and a thermal imager. The tank can also launch 9M119 Refleks anti-tank guided missiles. The T-90M's secondary armament includes a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.

The MBT, which has earned the praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is also reported to be protected by the multi-layer steel-composite-reactive blend Kontakt-5 Explosive Reactive Armor, while featuring an encrypted digital communications system.

The T-90 has a crew of three: a commander, driver, and gunner.

However, the T-90M also features a common flaw found in late-era Soviet and early Russian Federation MBTs – namely that the tank is equipped with an autoloader that can hold more than 22 projectiles and charges, with an additional 21 rounds in the hull. This does allow for the tank to maintain a high rate of fire of up to seven or eight rounds per minute, but if an anti-tank rocket strikes the turret, it can set off the rounds inside. This can result in the so-called jack-in-the-box effect where the turret is blown off the hull.

That is reportedly how the 100th T-90M met its end, and as a result, its crew almost certainly didn't survive to know they were in the vehicle that reached the grim milestone.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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