Author Description

The two largest heirs to the massive Soviet tank force that faced NATO during the Cold War – Russia and Ukraine – have been fighting one another since 2014 in what has now become the largest war in Europe since 1945. Volume 5 of the War in Ukraine series examines the development of Soviet legacy MBTs by Ukraine in the post- Soviet era into models including the Bulat and Oplot, and the refurbishment and modernization of T-64, T-72 and T-80 models to meet the need to respond to the war ongoing since 2014. Furthermore, this volume examines the organization and training of the opposed Russian and Ukrainian MBT forces and presents a number of case studies of their employment since 2014. The volume is completed with appendices on Explosive Reactive Armor as used in its various forms in this conflict, and the various types of 125mm gun ammunition and gun-launched anti-tank guided missiles used by both sides. This volume, extensively illustrated with full color images, is essential reading for the reader interested in post-Soviet Ukrainian MBT design, and the forces employed by both sides in the current war in Ukraine. The full history of the Russo–Ukrainian War remains to be written, but this book aims to at least give a background and a glimpse into one particular aspect of the war, as well as the role the MBT has played in the largest war of the twenty-first century so far.