British Defence Ministry says Russian tanks are not well protected

Russia's main battle tanks in Ukraine are subject to heavy attrition, which is partly due to Russia's failure to fit and properly employ adequate explosive reactive armour (ERA), according to Britain's Defence Ministry.

Used correctly, ERA degrades the effectiveness of incoming projectiles before they hit the tank. This suggests that Russian forces have not rectified a culture of poor ERA use, which dates back to the first Chechen war in 1994, analysts wrote in the ministry's daily update.

"It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain ERA, leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely."

These deficiencies probably contribute to the widespread incidents of turret ejection, which are well documented in eye-witness videos from Ukraine, the update said.

The war has seen numerous failures by Russian commanders to enforce low-level battle discipline – such as the use of ERA. The cumulative effect of these failures is likely a significant factor behind the poor performance of Russia's forces, according to the ministry update.