Ukrainian military analysts have assessed the possibility of using T-54/55 tanks in the conflict zone. Depending on the enemy, all armored vehicles can be used in the combat contact zone. Given the large number of T-55 tanks stored with the Russian Ministry of Defense, they can create serious problems for the Ukrainian army.
Not all sectors of the front are covered from the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with their own tanks, and resistance to outdated T-55 vehicles using machine guns is absolutely impossible. These tanks have greater maneuverability due to their lower weight compared to the T-72 and T-90 and can perfectly maneuver between caponiers on the second line of defense and be used to fight manpower and vehicles Ukrainian army light armor.
There is no shortage of shells for the T-55 tanks. Against modern Leopard 2 vehicles, this ammunition is ineffective, but Soviet tanks are capable of neutralizing armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, including American Bradleys. With the appearance of hundreds of tanks in the combat contact zone, this will add problems to the calculations of anti-tank guns. To destroy the T – 55, as well as the T – 90, a shot from an ATGM is required. And this means that more anti-tank shells will be needed, and in those sectors of the front where there were no tanks before.
Ukrainian analysts recall that the Ukrainian armed forces have ceased to disdain obsolete Western tanks of the Leopard 1 type, whose capabilities are comparable to the T-55, but Soviet tanks break down less often and are easier to repair. Therefore, they urge not to disdainfully treat the echelons with combat vehicles of the 50s of the last century. One way or another, but they are also tanks, and they surpass any armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle in terms of firepower and protection. The appearance of a large number of T-55s in the NVO area is just as bad for the Ukrainian army as the supply of more modern T-72 vehicles.
