The best Russian tanks are in Ukraine, but they do not attack Ukrainian forces

• State media reported that advanced Russian T-14 Armata tanks have arrived in Ukraine.
• But high-tech armored vehicles never really got into the war.
• The T-14 program has suffered setbacks in recent months.

The Russian military has finally brought its top-tier T-14 Armata tanks into combat in Ukraine, according to Russian state media — but the armored vehicles have so far served more as propaganda than a potential military force.

The state-run RIA news agency reported on Tuesday The long-awaited T-14 tanks have arrived in Ukraine, citing an “informed source”.

But high-tech tanks haven’t done that yet Take part in the struggling frontline movementInstead they fired at the Ukrainian forces from a distance, according to the RIA news agency.

“The Russian forces began using the latest Armata tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions,” the source, who was not named, told the outlet. They have not yet participated in direct assault operations.”

Russian state media TASS The advanced vehicle was previously called “the best tank in the world,” but T-14 tanks have suffered setbacks in recent months, according to reports.

British intelligence predicted in January that Russia was about to deploy the tanks to Ukraine, but indicated that the vehicles would be involved in little actual combat, with The British Ministry of Defense, citing satellite images of the tank In the Russian pre-deployment training area.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said earlier this year that the tanks, which took 11 years to make, were so new that deploying them to fight in Ukraine would be a “risky decision”.

“If Russia deploys the T-14, it is likely that it will be primarily for propaganda purposes,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in January. “Production is likely only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat.”

The decision to introduce tanks into the war comes after the Russian T-14 program was bogged down by delays, affected by planned fleet size reductions, and hampered by manufacturing problems, according to a British intelligence report.

But if the chariots really did join the fray, it could ostensibly give Russia a powerful advantage.

The T-14 Armata is equipped with defense systems that can shoot down anti-tank missiles that Ukraine has relied heavily on to fend off constant Russian attacks throughout the war, and the RIA news agency said this week that the vehicles can reach speeds of 80 kilometers. on a highway.

The outlet said that Russian combat crews have been undergoing tank training in Ukraine since the end of last year.

Described by the Russian Information Agency as an “uninhabited tower”, three crew members are seated in an armored capsule isolated in front of the hull, from where they remotely control the capsule.