Russia nears last stand: Omsk's armoured reserves dwindle
An analysis of new satellite images of the base in Omsk has revealed that the reserves of armoured vehicles stored there for years have been almost exhausted. As reported by the Ukrainian portal UNITED24 Media, this is a signal to the world that Russia might be mobilising its last stocks of armoured vehicles.
In 2021, the base in Omsk was stocked with about 120 tanks, 89 armoured personnel carriers, 41 infantry fighting vehicles, and 54 MT-12 Rapira anti-tank guns. However, satellite images from April 2025 show that Russia has almost completely depleted the reserves of equipment stored at this base. Only engineering vehicles, such as BAT-2, and trucks remain there.
What challenges does the Russian army face?
Ukrainians also note that the Armoured Vehicle Engineering Institute in Omsk is the only institution in Russia that trains engineers in the maintenance, repair, and modernisation of military vehicles. Withdrawing equipment from such facilities highlights the challenges facing the Russian army.
The number of Russian armoured vehicles is continuously decreasing
At the end of March 2025, researchers from the Resurgam platform and Military Vischnun reported a significant decline in Russia's ability to restore tanks from storage. Between 2022 and 2025, Russia removed over 4,000 tanks from its storage, which constitutes about 54% of those considered restorable.
The depletion of the reserves of armoured vehicles in Omsk is another symptom of the broader problem facing the Russian army—limited production capabilities, reliance on outdated equipment, and difficulties in replenishing losses. All of this affects Russia's ability to conduct intensive warfare and may force it to change its strategy or seek alternative sources of support.
Russia has suffered enormous losses in military equipment during the war in Ukraine. In 2024 alone, it lost over 3,000 tanks and nearly 9,000 armoured vehicles. These losses exceed the production capabilities of the Russian arms industry, which largely relies on refurbishing equipment from the Soviet era.
