Summary and Key Points: Despite the dire state of Russia's tank fleet in Ukraine, the T-14 Armata remains largely absent from the frontlines.

-Following a brief deployment last spring, it hasn't returned, possibly to avoid discouraging foreign buyers if it underperforms.

-Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec, claimed the T-14 is too valuable for extensive deployment.

-The T-14, introduced in 2015, features advanced armor and survivability, but its limited use in Ukraine suggests it may not live up to its touted capabilities.

Why Russia's Advanced T-14 Armata Tank Isn't in Ukraine

Considering the current state of Russia’s main battle tank fleet in Ukraine, it would make sense for the Kremlin to deploy its newest tank series to the frontlines. Yet the T-14 Armata remains a notable absence. 

Following a brief stint in Ukraine last spring, the Armatas have yet to return to the battlefield. Russian state-run news outlets like TASS have suggested the T-14’s brief appearance was meant to help military officials better gauge their battlefield performance. Some analysts speculate that the Kremlin might be wary of discouraging potential foreign buyers from the MBT series if the Armata performs below expectations.  

Earlier this year, the CEO of Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec claimed that the T-14’s role in Ukraine has been limited since it is “too valuable.” Sergey Chemezov added that the latest Russian MBT is the most “revolutionary tank in a decade.” If Moscow believed these remarks, it would have likely already deployed available T-14s to the frontlines of the war in order to gain traction against Ukraine’s strong defenses. The Armata’s extremely limited role in the conflict speaks louder than Chemezov’s claims.

What We Know About the Armata

The T-14 was first introduced publicly in 2015, when the tank was displayed during Moscow’s annual Victory Day Parade. 

Within a few years, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that the T-14 had been combat-tested in the Syrian civil war. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, production of the Armata ceased. 

Although limited information surrounding the tank is available, considering its lack of use in combat, the T-14 does appear to provide greater survivability to its crew members than its Soviet-era counterparts. 

As detailed by Military Watch Magazine, “The tank’s frontal base armour protection of over 900mm, paired with Malachit explosive reactive armour and the AFGHANIT active protection system, provides an extreme degree of survivability. The T-14’s sensors and armaments are also highly prized and major improvements over those of older vehicles, with its Vacuum-1 APFSDS projectiles having an extreme penetrative capability considered sufficient to frontally penetrate any of the vehicles currently in the Ukrainian theatre.”

Additionally, the T-14 is fitted with seven road wheels instead of six. The MBT is equipped with a 125 mm smoothbore gun and a turret that can carry up to 45 rounds of ammunition. The tank’s main gun can also support secondary weapons like the Kord 12.7 mm machine gun and the PKTM 7.62mm machine gun.

Considering the Armata’s capabilities as Moscow describes them, it does not make sense that Russia has not deployed these tanks to the frontlines of the war. 

About the Author: Maya Carlin 

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

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