Military Model Scene

Title: War in Ukraine Vol 5
Author: Wen Jian Chung
Publisher: Helion & Co
ISBN: 978-1-804514-25-2

Main Battle Tanks of Russia & Ukraine, 2014-2023: Post-Soviet Ukrainian MBTs and Combat Experience, number 36 in the Europe at War series from Helion and Co. A 60-page soft-cover book.
This continues looking at the tanks in use by both Ukrainian and Russian sides in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Going back to the break up of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was left with a legacy of 7-64, T-72 and T-80 tanks, along with a design bureau and a huge tank production facility. It explains some of the problems they faced in working with a large number of tanks which were by that time already considered obsolete. It explores their problems, and what needed to be done to modernise their tank fleet. Both sides were incapable of matching the rate of production of new tank hulls that existed during the time of the Soviet Union. It meant finding ways to modernise various systems, such as engine, armament, reactive armour, fire control systems, communications equipment and so on. As for Russia, their losses having been high in recent years, they have turned to upgrading even older tanks, such as the T-62 and the even older T-55. There are well detailed descriptions of the Ukrainian BM Bulat (a modified T-64) and the BM Oplot (a modified T-80) as well as T-72 upgrades. There is also a section looking at how the opposing forces have fared in some combat scenarios. There are plenty of photos, many in colour, plus maps and a section of fine colour profiles, much as we expect from this series. There are also two interesting appendices, one looking at the different 125mm ammunition rounds, while the second tells us more about the make up of different types of ERA (Explosive Reactive Armour).
There is no coverage in here of the Western supplied tanks, such as Leopard, Challenger 2 or Abrams, it is very focussed on the use by both sides of updated tanks from the stocks of older, Cold War era machines. We have heard a good deal of the effectiveness of Western supplied ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles), there is a piece on the Ukrainian developed STUGNA-P and Korsar laser beam riding missiles. Fighting in the Donbas region started back in 2014, and has blended into the wider conflict since the Russian invasion in 2022. Not the 3-day success the Russians had planned on, this is very interesting for the AFV enthusiast, though I can't help but still feel the sadness of the continuation of this seemingly pointless war.
Thanks to Helion & Co for our review copy.

Robin