Russian MT‑LB transporters dwindle to near extinction on the battlefield

Not long ago, the MT-LB was the second most popular infantry armoured vehicle in Russian service, reports the Ukrainian agency Unian. However, military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko notes that they are rare today, as the Russian Federation has exhausted its reserves.

Among the most popular machines Russians used in the Ukraine conflict, the T-72 tanks and the BMP-2 and MT-LB transporters were at the forefront. This was the case at the beginning of the war, as pointed out by Kovalenko. However, today, the once numerous vehicles have become rare. We are talking about the MT-LB, which has almost completely disappeared from the battlefield.

Analysts have calculated that so far, 1,180 MT-LB transporters have been documented destroyed in photos or videos. However, these are not the total losses that have affected the Russians. Kovalenko believes that this number should be multiplied by 2.5 – then, one can get the real number of destroyed MT-LBs. According to calculations, the Russian Federation has lost nearly 3,000 vehicles (exactly 2,950).

Kovalenko points out that, according to analyses, the Russians had around 3,000 MT-LB copies before service, but soon this number was increased by an additional 2,485 units extracted from warehouses. As a result, the Russian Federation had 5,785 of the mentioned type of vehicles.

– The total number of these vehicles should be 5,785, and losses of 1,180 should not be critical. And yet, that has happened. MT-LBs have almost completely disappeared from combat, and if they appear, they're just a few units – noted Kovalenko.

The expert also doubts that the Russians had 3,300 MT-LB transporters before the war. He believes that if one counts the losses exactly at 2,950 units, "everything adds up" and constitutes proof that the Russian Federation has lost reserves of what were once some of the most popular vehicles on the front line.

– For years, many analytical agencies evaluating military power worldwide have incorrectly described the potential of the Russian army, using data that does not correspond to reality and providing unrealistic numbers – added Kovalenko.

The MT-LB (also known as Object-6) is an amphibious armoured transporter from the 1960s. It is powered by an 8-cylinder engine with 240 HP, which accelerates it to speeds slightly over 60 km/h on land and about 5 km/h in water. Its range is 500 kilometres.

Today, the MT-LB is essentially a vehicle that primarily serves to transport soldiers. It can accommodate a total of 12 people inside and its offensive capabilities in this case are provided by a single 7.62 mm PKT machine gun. In the future, a series of different special-purpose vehicles were built based on the MT-LB, including those equipped with rocket launchers, artillery radars, and even anti-aircraft guns or a crane and winch.