Foto: BB.LV / российский танк
Reserve Colonel of the National Armed Forces of Latvia Igor Raev believes that Moscow prefers to keep modern tanks and armored vehicles, as their mass deployment on the current battlefield would lead to significant losses. He stated this in the program "[nra.lv sarunas](https://nra.lv/pasaule/534288-rajevs-krievija-noliktavas-uzkraj-tankus.htm)". ### Previously Empty Warehouses, Now Filling Up Again Not long ago, one of the indicators of the state of the Russian army was satellite images of storage military bases. They showed a gradual reduction in the number of Soviet-made tanks and other armored vehicles. Machines were taken out of long-term storage, restored, and sent to the Ukrainian front. However, according to Igor Raev, the situation is now changing. > "These warehouses are starting to fill up with equipment again, but this time with new tanks and new armored vehicles," the expert stated. In his assessment, this indicates that Russia is not only replenishing current losses but also beginning to restore its military reserves. ### Why Are New Tanks Not Being Sent to the Front? At first glance, it may seem strange that Russia is stockpiling armored vehicles while continuing to wage war against Ukraine. However, Raev believes that under current conditions, the mass use of tanks would not yield the expected results for the Russian army. The modern battlefield poses too high a risk of quickly losing expensive equipment. > "You send a hundred tanks, the Ukrainians will destroy them in three days," the reserve colonel explained. At the same time, this is not about a specific forecast of losses, but rather a hypothetical example that the expert uses to illustrate the vulnerability of armored vehicles in the current conditions of war. In his assessment, sending a large number of new machines to the front now may be less advantageous than keeping them in reserve. ### Russia Reduces the Number of Models Produced Raev also noted changes in Russian military production. According to him, Russia has reduced the variety of armored vehicle models produced, focusing on certain types of machines and their new modifications. This applies not only to tanks but also to infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Unlike the old Soviet equipment, which was previously sent to the front in large quantities, the new machines, the expert claims, are increasingly remaining in mobilization warehouses. Thus, Russia has the opportunity to gradually form a new stock of armored vehicles without exposing it to immediate risk of destruction. ### "Russia is Preparing for the Next War as Well" Igor Raev sees the greatest danger in this trend in the long term. In his opinion, the accumulation of new armored vehicles means that Russia is gradually restoring its military potential, which could be used not only in the current war against Ukraine. > "Russia is restoring its potential and preparing for the next war as well," the reserve colonel stated. At the same time, the expert did not specify which possible conflict he was referring to and when it might occur. His assessment points to a potential risk: while the Russian army continues combat operations in Ukraine, part of the newly produced equipment may be kept for future use. However, Raev's observations alone do not allow for establishing the exact scale of the accumulation of armored vehicles or confirming the existence of specific plans for a new military conflict.
