A T-90MS main battle tank showcased at the IDEX 2025 arms exhibition in the United Arab Emirates has reportedly been deployed to the frontline in Ukraine, according to Russian manufacturer UralVagonZavod.
The move highlights Moscow’s growing need to field upgraded armored platforms amid heavy losses and growing pressure on its defense industrial base.
UralVagonZavod said the tank, which was painted in desert camouflage for display at IDEX 2025, was later returned to Russia, repainted military standard green, and sent into combat.
“The vehicle we presented abroad for the first time was modified based on extensive experience from the special military operation,” the company said in a statement.
“It was delivered to our troops in nearly the same configuration as it was shown at the exhibition in the UAE. The only change was the color: from ‘exhibition’ desert camouflage to standard army green.”
T-90MS tank
The T-90MS is a modernized export version of Russia’s long-running T-90 series, offering enhancements in optics, armor protection, and firepower.
UralVagonZavod did not specify which unit or region in Ukraine the exhibition tank was deployed to, but said the version used in combat is “nearly identical” to the version shown at IDEX.
Observers said the reuse of an exhibition model for combat is unusual. Demonstration units shown at arms fairs are typically reserved for foreign customers or kept aside from immediate operational use.
The fact that this unit was shifted directly to the battlefield suggests urgency in replacing destroyed or disabled tanks or gaps in the inventory capable of carrying upgraded systems.
Open-source data and think-tank reporting indicate Russia has suffered large-scale losses of tanks and other armored vehicles since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia has lost thousands of main battle tanks—some destroyed, others damaged.
Ukrainian sources claim over 11,000 tanks lost since the start of the invasion, although such figures often combine destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured vehicles.
Losses of armored fighting vehicles (IFVs / APCs) and other tracked platforms are also very high. The Russian military appears to be leveraging older Soviet-era tanks, refurbishing them and newer models to make up for the attrition.
Meanwhile, production of upgraded Russian tanks like the T-90M “Proryv” has increased.
Open sources estimate that in 2022, UralVagonZavod produced some 60-70 T-90M tanks; by 2023, that may have risen to 140-180; and for 2024, output is estimated to have exceeded 200 units annually.
Implications of exhibition tank deployment
This deployment reflects both a signaling and a practical reality: Russia wants to show its upgraded hardware, but it also needs every asset it can field, sometimes using what was intended for display or export.
Using an exhibition model suggests fewer surplus units are available to spare, or that upgrades are being fast-tracked.
It could also affect battlefield maintenance and logistics. Tank crews and maintenance units may have less time to prepare parts, training, or support services tailored to brand-new or export variants initiated during shows like IDEX.
Consistency in configuration, such as what was shown at IDEX, may help with familiarity, but theater conditions may still demand adaptation or modification.
Even as Russia increases production of upgraded models such as the T-90M, experts warn that its rate of losses may continue to outpace what can be replaced.
The reliance on older tanks pulled from storage, refurbs, and export/show models being re-routed for combat reveals pressures on the Russian armored force structure.
For Ukraine and its partners, verification remains challenging. Many loss figures are difficult to confirm independently; estimates vary depending on counting methods, such as destroyed vs damaged or abandoned vs captured.
However, the picture of severe armored attrition for Russia is consistent across multiple sources.