Russian T-72B3M/T-72B3 mod. 2016 tanks are documented in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through visual-loss records and captured examples later used by Ukraine.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Russian forces fielded late T-72B3/T-72B3M-family tanks in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses |
| Ukrainian troops captured a Russian T-72B3 mod. 2016, also called T-72B3M, in June 2023. | |
| Captured T-72B3 Mod 2016/T-72B3M tanks were repaired and returned to Ukrainian armed forces service. | |
| Russian tank and armored-vehicle losses constrained armored massing during the war. | Sources: U.S. Army Historical Armor Losses |
Timeline
Oryx's Russian invasion loss list records T-72B3 Obr. 2016 tanks among visually documented Russian tank losses.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses
Army Recognition cited a June 29, 2023 video showing Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Mechanized Brigade capturing a Russian T-72B3 mod. 2016, also called T-72B3M.
Army Recognition reported that captured T-72B3 Mod 2016/T-72B3M tanks had undergone repairs and returned to service within the Ukrainian armed forces.
The T-72B3M entry is tied to the late T-72B3 mod. 2016 or Obr. 2016 designation used in Ukraine-war reporting. Oryx's visual-loss list for Russia's invasion of Ukraine includes Russian T-72B3 Obr. 2016 tanks among documented tank losses, and the list states that it only records equipment for which photo or video evidence is available.
Ukrainian use is documented through captured Russian vehicles. Army Recognition reported that soldiers from Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade captured a Russian Army T-72B3 mod. 2016, also called T-72B3M, in June 2023 and stated that captured T-72B3 Mod 2016 tanks had been repaired and returned to service in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Army Recognition Captured T-72B3M Tanks
The direct public record starts with accumulated visual evidence from the 2022 full-scale invasion: Oryx groups T-72B3 Obr. 2016 losses inside its Russian equipment-loss list for the invasion. This supports Russian fielding and loss of the late T-72B3 variant in the war, but the list should be read as a minimum visual count rather than a complete inventory.
On June 29, 2023, a social-media video cited by Army Recognition showed Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Mechanized Brigade capturing another Russian T-72B3 mod. 2016/T-72B3M. Army Recognition placed the brigade's operations toward Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and separately described captured T-72B3 Mod 2016 tanks being repaired and returned to Ukrainian service.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Army Recognition Captured T-72B3M Tanks
In Russian service, the T-72B3M/T-72B3 mod. 2016 appears as a modernized main battle tank used in the same armored-force role as other late T-72 variants: maneuver, direct fire, and support for ground formations. The visual-loss record shows that the type was present in combat formations exposed to destruction, abandonment, damage, and capture during the full-scale invasion.
For Ukraine, the evidence is narrower and centers on capture and reuse rather than a separate procurement channel. Army Recognition's 2023 report described Ukrainian seizure of a Russian T-72B3 mod. 2016/T-72B3M and stated that captured examples were repaired and returned to Ukrainian service, making the tank both a Russian fielded system and a Ukrainian captured-equipment system in the same conflict.
The broader armored-war context helps explain why these captures mattered. A 2025 U.S. Army article, citing Oryx, described Russia's main battle tank and armored fighting vehicle losses as a critical factor limiting Russian ability to mass armored formations, while a separate U.S. Army article on the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive emphasized the difficulty of armored maneuver through prepared defenses in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Army Recognition Captured T-72B3M Tanks, U.S. Army Historical Armor Losses, U.S. Army Combined Arms Breach
