Russia will not deploy most advanced tanks due to ‘reputational damage’ it would cause if they are destroyed

Moscow will not sent their most advanced T-14 Armata tank to Ukraine over fears of the “reputational damage” it would cause for Vladimir Putin.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that it is highly likely Moscow will not send the Armata even though it has entered into military service.

The MoD said in their latest intelligence update, “On March 4, 2024, Sergei Chemezov, the chair of Russia’s defence manufacturer Rostec, stated that Russia’s most advanced Main Battle Tank (MBT), the T-14 Armata, had entered service in the Russian military but would not be deployed to Ukraine.

“Chemezov stated this was due to the high cost limiting manufacturing of the Armata MBT at scale.”

They added, “To date, it is almost certainly that the T-14 Armata MBT has not been deployed to Ukraine.

“This is highly likely due to the potential reputational damage of losing the ‘prestige’ vehicle in combat and the requirement to produce greater quantities of MBTs which can only be satisfied by other variants.”