Ukraine captures rare Russian T‑90S tank, boosts firepower
A video has surfaced online showing Ukrainian soldiers using a tank captured by the Russians. It is a rare and valuable T-90S. Moscow initially did not plan to send this type of tank to the front and has few units available. Here, we explain what this equipment is.
The T-90S is a tank that belongs to the well-known Russian family of main battle tanks, but unlike the T-90 or the latest T-90M, it does not often appear in reports from the front. This is because the T-90S is a tank manufactured for export.
Its primary buyer is India, and according to some analysts and observers of the ongoing conflict, the units sent to Ukraine are only a dozen or several dozen units rejected by the customer (namely India) due to identified flaws or non-compliance with the order. Considering the significant losses (Ukrainians had already eliminated over 3,500 tanks of the invaders), Moscow decided to reinforce its troops even with returned T-90S tanks.
T-90S captured by Ukrainians
The video was posted on the social media platform X on the official account run by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, leaving no doubt about its authenticity. Ukrainian soldiers are shown revealing the interior of the captured tank. The entire footage suggests it was taken over in good technical condition and will be able to be used.
The T-90S is a tank with considerable capabilities
The T-90S is very similar to other tanks in this family in terms of technical specifications. It does not have the TszU-1 Shtora-1 electro-optical self-defense system, but Russian designers have provided more space for reactive armor instead.
Like the T-90 and T-90M, the T-90S is equipped with a 2A46M-3 smoothbore gun with a 125 mm caliber and machine guns with 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm calibers. It is significantly better compared to most older tanks used by the Russian army. It includes, among other features, an advanced fire control system. It is also equipped with an engine with 1,000 horsepower. The weight of this tank is about 101,000 lbs.
It is estimated that the price of one T-90M unit is about 4.5 million dollars. The value of the T-90S may be similar.
