The T-90M “Proryv” tank’s durability, a Russian tank platoon commander, identified by the call sign “Chizh,” has claimed that his unit’s tank withstood multiple direct hits from anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) during combat operations in Ukraine. This revelation, reported by the state-owned news outlet TASS, adds to the ongoing narrative of Russia’s struggle to maintain the effectiveness of its armored forces in the face of advanced Western-supplied weaponry on the Ukrainian battlefield.
According to Chizh, the T-90M came under a relentless attack from four separate ATGMs but managed to survive the onslaught without being destroyed. This level of resilience highlights the Russian main battle tank’s (MBT) robust design, particularly in a conflict that has proven to be lethal to even the most modern and heavily armored vehicles.
“We had to endure four ATGMs hitting us. The MBT withstood it completely,” Chizh recounted to TASS, illustrating the ferocity of the attack. He further explained that while the tank suffered significant damage, it remained operational, allowing the crew to return to the battlefield shortly afterward. “There were a lot of things, but the vehicle holds,” he added, praising the T-90M’s durability.
The Russian Ministry of Defense corroborated the account, noting that the T-90M crew, led by Chizh, played a critical role in suppressing Ukrainian forces in the Avdiivka sector, a strategically important region in the Donetsk Oblast. According to the ministry, the tank crew successfully destroyed a group of Ukrainian soldiers who were hindering Russian assault units.
The crew achieved this by deploying high-explosive fragmentation shells, 125mm in caliber, from a prepared firing position. The Ministry emphasized that the crew’s tactical execution, including the use of semi-direct fire methods, allowed them to avoid detection by Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance and counter-battery fire. The ability to remain undetected while striking enemy positions underscores the operational flexibility that Russia attributes to the T-90M, especially in its current iteration.
The T-90M has been hailed by Russian officials as a symbol of Russia’s armored capabilities, with President Vladimir Putin himself dubbing it the “world’s best main battle tank.” In June, during a public appearance, Putin shared a story that further underscored the tank’s reputed resilience. He recounted an incident in which a T-90 survived a powerful roadside bomb detonation, stating that the crew member inside sustained injuries not from the blast itself, but from the impact of the jolt. “The tank remained intact,” Putin remarked, reinforcing the perception that the T-90M is nearly invulnerable to conventional battlefield threats. This rhetoric, however, contrasts with the reality on the ground, where Russia has lost a substantial number of its tanks, including the T-90M, due to a variety of threats ranging from top-attack munitions to precision-guided drone strikes.
One of the T-90M’s distinguishing features is its advanced frontal armor, a composite of metal, ceramics, and other classified materials, providing the tank with protection equivalent to over three feet of solid steel. This armor is designed to withstand direct hits from traditional anti-tank weapons, which is a key reason why Chizh’s crew survived multiple ATGM strikes in Ukraine.
In addition to this layered armor, some of the latest T-90M variants are reportedly outfitted with the Arena active protection system (APS), which is intended to intercept incoming threats such as drones or missiles before they make contact. However, the operational deployment of the Arena APS remains unverified, leaving some uncertainty as to whether it was a factor in the survival of Chizh’s tank. The absence of confirmed instances of the Arena APS intercepting incoming munitions in the field has led to speculation about its effectiveness, or whether it has even been deployed on the front lines.
The tank’s defenses have been further reinforced by additional innovations introduced by Russian crews themselves. For instance, the upper surface of the T-90M is often armored with blocks of explosive reactive armor (ERA), a system designed to mitigate the effects of shaped-charge warheads that are commonly deployed in aerial attacks. This defense mechanism, combined with other modifications like improvised roof screens, has been a crucial line of defense against the increasing prevalence of top-attack munitions in the Ukraine conflict.
Newer T-90M models have enhanced their protective measures even further by integrating ERA-covered screens, creating a formidable triple-layer defense that extends protection from the tank’s base to its turret. This comprehensive setup, while advanced, has not completely eliminated the vulnerabilities exposed by modern warfare technologies, particularly the use of drones and anti-tank missiles that attack from above, bypassing the frontal armor.
Despite the tank’s advanced design, the ongoing war in Ukraine has exposed significant shortcomings in the T-90M’s capabilities, especially against evolving battlefield threats. The T-90M, once lauded by Russian officials as the pinnacle of tank engineering, has seen its reputation take a hit due to the high rate of losses in Ukraine.
The open-source investigative group Oryx, which meticulously tracks equipment losses in the conflict, has documented over 150 instances of T-90 tanks being either destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured on Ukrainian soil. While not all of these losses pertain to the T-90M variant, the sheer scale of attrition faced by Russian armored units suggests that even the most advanced vehicles have struggled to survive the intensive warfare seen in Ukraine.
As of now, the T-90M is the most advanced Russian tank deployed in significant numbers to the Ukrainian theater. Although the T-14 Armata is technically more advanced, it exists in such small numbers—reportedly fewer than 20 units—that it has yet to see any direct action in the conflict. The T-90M, introduced in 2019, has thus become Russia’s frontline tank, facing some of the harshest combat conditions the world has seen in decades.
The T-90 platform itself has a long history within the Russian military. First introduced in 1992, the original T-90 was an evolution of the T-72, a design that formed the backbone of Soviet and later Russian armored forces for decades. Over the years, the T-90 has undergone several upgrades, culminating in the T-90M “Proryv,” the fourth and latest iteration of the vehicle.
The T-90M boasts several key improvements over its predecessors, including a new turret design, upgraded optics, a modernized fire-control system, and the 125mm 2A46 gun. Additionally, it features a more powerful engine, giving it superior mobility on the battlefield compared to older models. Weapons expert Martin J. Dougherty has noted that the T-90M essentially combines the reliable chassis of the T-72 with the advanced turret systems of the T-80, creating what was initially seen as a promising combination of firepower, protection, and maneuverability.
“Until the invasion of Ukraine, the overall impression of the T-90M was positive,” Dougherty commented, highlighting the tank’s perceived strengths prior to its deployment in large numbers during the current conflict.
However, the advent of modern top-attack weapons has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the T-90M’s defenses. In particular, drones have proven to be a game-changer on the battlefield, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to devastating effect. Videos widely shared on social media platforms show T-90Ms being struck by drones, their advanced armor proving insufficient to defend against attacks that come from above—an area not typically reinforced in traditional tank design.
These aerial assaults are often facilitated by top-attack missiles, which are designed to strike the relatively weak upper armor of tanks, bypassing their heavily armored fronts. The widespread availability and use of such technologies in Ukraine have posed a serious threat to Russian armored forces, including the T-90M, which was not originally conceived with this kind of warfare in mind.
In response to the heavy losses sustained in Ukraine, Russia has ramped up its tank production. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the annual production of T-90Ms has increased significantly, from approximately 40 units before February 2022 to between 60 and 70 in 2023. Projections indicate that this number could rise even further, potentially surpassing 90 tanks per year by 2025.
This increase in production reflects Russia’s strategic efforts to replenish its armored fleet amid ongoing battlefield challenges. However, it remains to be seen whether these new tanks will be able to withstand the modern threats posed by Ukrainian forces, particularly as Western military aid continues to introduce new weapons systems into the conflict.
The T-90M “Proryv” remains one of Russia’s most advanced and heavily armored tanks, as demonstrated by the experiences of Commander Chizh and his crew, who survived multiple ATGM hits during combat in Ukraine. However, the conflict has also highlighted the tank’s limitations in the face of modern warfare technologies, particularly drones and top-attack munitions.
As Russia continues to escalate its tank production to offset losses, the fate of the T-90M on the battlefield will likely serve as a key indicator of the future viability of traditional armored warfare in an increasingly drone-dominated era.
