How has the role of tanks changed in Russia's war against Ukraine? DW spoke to Ukrainian tank crews.
At the start of a full-scale war, the tank was a "symbol of victory," said Dag, deputy commander of a separate special forces division of the laser group of the National Guard of Ukraine. But today the tank no longer has the power it once had, he points out. The reason is the development of UAVs. Today, a $2,000 FPV UAV, and even more so, a $20,000 attack UAV can destroy a tank that costs millions of dollars.
"We used to use tanks every day," recalls Bond, a platoon commander of Company A of the 93rd Division's tank battalion. "In 2022, 2023 and even 2024 there were two or three trips a day. And the last time there were tank battles was in 2022, when we were stationed in the direction of Isium. There are tank crews who even dream of it - come in and conduct a real tank battle." Today tanks are often used in small numbers to divert enemy resources.
At the same time, "Bond", like other tankers with whom DW spoke, does not believe that tanks will disappear from the battlefield. "Anyway, they'll come up with something to fight the UFOs. Equipment like tanks should not be written," he concludes.
Arseniy Davydenko from Keren will also come back alive convinced that in the future tanks will return to be used as the main striking force in attacks if the doctrine for their use is updated and close cooperation with UAVs can be achieved.