Analyst: Russian tanks are vulnerable to drones, but occupiers can't invent better than "turtles"

The Russians understand that at the current stage of the war, their tanks are vulnerable to drones, but they cannot think of anything better than modernization in the form of so-called "turtles." Read all about it in the commentary LIGA.net Ivan Kyrychevsky, a soldier of the 413th Regiment "Reid" and an expert on weapons, told Defense Express.

He said that as of early 2025, Russia had 1,800 tanks in service. That is, it is approximately one tank per kilometer of the front.

Kyrychevsky is convinced that this is unconvincing for Russian doctrines of tank breakthroughs. That is why the deployment of a mechanized battalion with up to a company of tanks and two companies of armored personnel carriers is considered an event. After all, it is quite difficult for the Russians to concentrate such numbers.

The expert stated that as soon as a tank enters a clear field within the range of Ukrainian reconnaissance drones, it is immediately destroyed.

That is why the occupiers are creating so-called "turtle tanks" and boasting about them. At the same time, the Russian Federation realizes that its tanks are useless in the war against Ukraine, but the occupiers cannot abandon them altogether.

the "turtle tanks" are a kind of consensus, when the Russians realize that tanks in their current form are vulnerable to drones, but they can't think of anything better.

Kyrychevsky added that because the tanks are equipped with metal structures, their undercarriage cannot withstand it. Therefore, such vehicles can break down at any time without the possibility of repair. In addition, the Russians have a lot of tanks that have been in storage, which does not add to their "health" either. Therefore, the analyst stated that the Russians have no alternative and no way out.

But if a "turtle tank" enters the battle, it is quite difficult to hit it the first time. The soldier cited statistics that the Russians have one such converted tank per company (i.e., one turtle tank and nine conventional tanks).

"It turns out that, in general, we can't say that the Russians have come up with something completely ridiculous here, because, even if we take some photos on social media, our people have tried to copy something like this, and there was no feedback that the practice is bad," the expert said, adding that the world still doesn't know how to effectively protect tanks from drones.

• On January 23, Kirichevsky reported that the "raid" hit "turtle tank" in one of the hotspots. He explained that they are usually placed at the head of a column of armored vehicles during massive mechanized assaults.