Ukraine’s massive operation to retake territory from Russian forces shows that tank and armored vehicle attacks are still possible in a drone-heavy war, but now require more support and planning to execute them.
Tanks and other armored vehicles face severe challenges on a battlefield dominated by drones, landmines and artillery, prompting both sides to tactically abandon large-scale mechanized attacks. These decisions have observers questioning whether tanks still have a role in modern warfare.
These discussions have taken a new turn in the wake of recent combat operations in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army participating in the “Operation Vivaldi” counteroffensive successfully launched two mechanized attacks behind Russian defense lines this week. The force that carried out the operation was General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Ukrainian Third Army, he told the Ukrainian media “Militarnyi”.
George Barrows, director of innovation at the Institute of War Studies, a US think tank, told Business Insider that this appears to be “the first successful mechanized tactical breakthrough on a battlefield dominated by drones.”
Sharing details of the operation, Biletsky said he had always been skeptical that the operation could be completed and was not sure until the last moment whether the armored vehicles could be used successfully, but he decided to allow the brigade commander to try.
Attacks require a lot of preparation and coordination. “Today, the use of armored vehicles is actually a special operation. It requires extremely detailed planning and the coordination of huge resources,” Biletsky told the military ministry. Ukrainian military news website.
Tanks have struggled in Ukraine, leading to a decline in their role in large-scale attacks and a re-evaluation of how tanks are used in modern warfare. Sergey Chuzhavkov/AFP via Getty Images
Burrows said that while the attack’s territorial gains were limited, he believed it was the most impactful and meaningful offensive ever observed in a war zone and in military science.
“This is really a big deal,” he said. “It demonstrates decisively that tactical-level mechanized maneuver is possible on a drone-dominated battlefield.”
Mission planning includes individual training of vehicle crews and infantry, equipping vehicles with additional equipment, and providing extensive support for advance operations. Biletsky did not specify the equipment used, but electronic warfare, additional armor, and support drones and robots are all tools that could help protect the assault force.
“The important lesson here is that the tank is not dead, the tank is not obsolete, but the prerequisites for the tank to be effective are long and extensive and difficult to achieve, but they are still very important and critical to success on the battlefield,” Barros said.
The challenge is to replicate that success. Such attacks require more resources and preparation time than some forces can reasonably devote to the task. Barros noted that few Ukrainian units were as well-trained and equipped as Vivaldi’s leading unit, the III Corps.
The III Corps is shown here using armored vehicles in training, demonstrating how to conduct mechanized warfare under new conditions. Third Army
But if Ukraine succeeds in extending these lessons and tactics to other parts of its armed forces, “then we will have a Ukrainian army that is very capable and able to repel the Russians, who may still be years behind the Ukrainians in their ability to conduct such exercises,” he said.
The latest Vivaldi raid builds on a broader effort to return armored vehicles to larger offensive breakthrough operations.
ISW observed in May that Ukraine began conducting more frequent mechanized counterattacks for the first time since 2023, including the use of armored vehicles in frontline attacks.
In August, the ISW assessed that Ukraine had been able to reintroduce limited mechanized maneuvers through improved planning, suppression of Russian air defense systems, and emerging drone superiority. By October, the think tank identified Ukraine’s advantages in such new operations.
Biletsky said this week that the mechanized attack allowed his forces to partially encircle the settlement of Nov and to deploy infantry behind Russian lines to attack drone operators hiding in wooded areas.
He said the attacks weakened Russia’s ability to conduct drone operations and gather battlefield intelligence, creating conditions for tactical breakthroughs.
Barros said eliminating drone operators is key because it allows Ukrainian forces to move forward. He said Ukraine was getting better and better at this during the year, which is why Ukrainian vehicles were able to advance further. Vivaldi leaders have stressed the importance of shaping the battlefield by first weakening the enemy, including using artillery, drones and robots.
The war’s dense network of drones, mines and artillery makes large-scale armored attacks difficult and dangerous. Cheap drones, in particular, make it difficult to concentrate forces and complicate maneuvers. Both sides added protective armor while reducing the movement of tanks, generally keeping them further away from the front.
However, Vivaldi showed that they are not out of the fight.
Western partners are still betting on tanks and buying new ones, but they foresee changes in how they are supported and deployed. Officials say tanks still have a place, but their role may change. They need to work with assets such as drones.
Gen. Alexus Grinkovich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said in May that “legacy platforms are not obsolete,” but “the decisive question is force mix: How do we combine ships, aircraft, tanks and high-end systems with robots, drones, sensors, software and new effectors to increase lethality and better protect our soldiers?”