Russia’s Wars: Listing Equipment Losses During The 2008 Russo-Georgian War

 

In August 2008, the militaries of Russia and the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia fought Georgia in a brief five-day war. On August 1, South Ossetian forces began shelling Georgia in spite of a 1992 ceasefire agreement. In response, the Georgian Army was sent into territory controlled by South Ossetia on the 7th of August, taking control over most of the city of Tskhinvali. Russia accused Georgia of committing genocide as an excuse to enter the war on behalf of South Ossetia, launching a full-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia on the 8th of August.

 

Despite being chaotic in nature, the Russian invasion managed to overwhelm the Georgian Armed Forces in its entirety. In sharp contrast to the performance of Ukrainian forces during the 2022 invasion, most Georgian forces fled ahead of the Russian advance, leaving many of their vehicles and weapons behind intact. This military defeat came after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had invested large sums of money into reequipping the Georgian Armed Forces with modern equipment from 2004 onwards in anticipation of a possible conflict with Russia over Georgia's breakaway regions. This included anything from Israeli Spyder SAM systems and LAR-160 MRLs to Hermes 450 UAVs.

 

The Russian naval blockade of the Georgian Black Sea coastline (in which the now infamous late cruiser Moskva participated) and the capture of the port city of Poti led to the destruction of the Georgian Navy, which was scuttled in port by Russian forces. Despite the bombing of Georgian air bases, the Georgian Air Force's Su-25s and Mi-24s managed to fly a number of sorties before being hidden in an effort to conserve them. Two Mi-24s and one Mi-14 were captured and destroyed by Russia in addition to the loss of three An-2s and three Hermes 450 UAVs in the months leading up to the conflict. Russian and Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge before a ceasefire agreement was reached on August 12. Russian forces temporarily occupied several Georgian cities as the South Ossetians began to ethnicly cleanse its territory of Georgians. Russia recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia completed its withdrawal of troops from undisputed parts of Georgia on October 8. 

 

Russia (78, of which destroyed: 74, damaged: 2, captured: 2)

Tanks (4, of which destroyed: 4)

• 1 T-55A: (1, destroyed [South Ossetian])
• 1 T-62M: (1, destroyed)
• 1 T-72B: (1, destroyed)
• 1 T-72B Obr. 1989: (1, destroyed)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles (4, of which destroyed: 3, captured: 1)

• 2 BRDM-2: (1, destroyed)(1, captured [South Ossetian])
• 2 BRDM-2M: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)

Infantry Fighting Vehicles (20, of which destroyed: 19, damaged: 1)

• 10 BMP-1: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(4, destroyed)(5, destroyed)(6, destroyed)(7, 8 and 9, destroyed)(10, destroyed)
  
• 4 BMP-1P: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(4, destroyed)
  
• 5 BMP-2: (1, destroyed [South Ossetian])(2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(4, destroyed)(1, damaged)
• 1 BMD-2: (1, destroyed)

Armoured Personnel Carriers (5, of which destroyed: 3, damaged: 1, captured: 1)

• 1 BTR-70: (1, captured)
• 4 BTR-80: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(1, damaged)

Armoured Recovery Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1)

• 1 BREM-Ch: (1, destroyed)

Artillery Support Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1)

• 1 1V13(M) battery fire control center: (1, destroyed)
  

Self-Propelled Artillery (1, of which destroyed: 1)

• 1 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika: (1, captured and destroyed [South Ossetian])

Aircraft (8, of which destroyed: 8)

• 1 Su-25 close air support aircraft: (1, damaged beyond economical repair)
• 2 Su-25BM close air support aircraft: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)
• 2 Su-25SM close air support aircraft: (1, destroyed)(2, damaged beyond economical repair and scrapped)
• 2 Su-24M strike aircraft: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)
  
• 1 Tu-22M3 strategic bomber: (1, destroyed)

Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (32, of which destroyed: 32)

• 11 GAZ-66: (1 and 2, destroyed)(3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, destroyed)(10, destroyed [South Ossetian])(11, destroyed [South Ossetian])
• 3 ZiL-131: (1, destroyed)(2 and 3, destroyed)
  
• 1 KrAZ-225B: (1, destroyed)
• 1 Ural-375D: (1, destroyed)
• 11 Ural-4320: (1, destroyed)(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, destroyed)(11, destroyed)
  
• 9 KamAZ 6x6: (1, destroyed)(2 and 3, destroyed)(4, 5, 6 and 7, destroyed)(8, destroyed)(9, destroyed)
  
• 1 UAZ-452: (1, destroyed)
• 2 UAZ-469: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed [South Ossetian])(3, destroyed [South Ossetian])
• 2 Unknown truck: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)
  

Georgia (186, of which destroyed: 89, damaged: 1, captured: 96)

Tanks (44, of which destroyed: 27, captured: 17)

• 14 T-72AV: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(4, destroyed)(5, destroyed)(6, destroyed)(1, captured)(2, captured)(3, damaged and captured)(4, damaged and captured)(5, captured)(6, captured)(7, captured)(8, captured)
  
• 29 T-72B: (1, 2 and 3, destroyed)(4, destroyed)(5, captured and destroyed)(6, captured and destroyed)(7, captured and destroyed)(8, captured and destroyed)(9, captured and destroyed)(10, captured and destroyed)(11, captured and destroyed)(12, captured and destroyed)(13, captured and destroyed)(14, captured and destroyed)(15, captured and destroyed)(16, captured and destroyed)(17, captured and destroyed)(18, captured and destroyed)(19, captured and destroyed)(20, captured and destroyed)(21, captured and destroyed)(1, captured)(2, captured)(3, captured)(4, captured)(5, captured)(6 and 7, captured)(8, captured)
• 1 T-72 SIM-1: (1, captured)
  

Armoured Fighting Vehicles (2, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 1)

• 2 MT-LB: (1, destroyed)(1, captured)
  

Infantry Fighting Vehicles (25, of which destroyed: 19, captured: 6)

• 2 BMP-1: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)
• 14 BMP-1U 'Shkval': (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 captured)
  
• 9 BMP-2: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(3, captured and destroyed)(4, captured and destroyed)(1, captured)(2 and 3, captured)(4, captured)(5, captured)
  

 

Armoured Personnel Carriers (3, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 1)

• 3 BTR-80: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(1, captured)
  

Infantry Mobility Vehicles (3, of which captured: 3)

• 1 HMMWV: (1, captured) 
• 2 Otokar Cobra: (1, captured)(2, damaged and captured)

Command Posts (1, of which captured: 1)

• 1 9S470M command post (for Buk-M1): (1, captured)

Engineering Vehicles And Equipment (5, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 4)

• 1 BTS-2 armoured recovery vehicle: (1, captured)
• 1 MTU-55 armoured vehicle-launched bridge: (1, captured)
• 1 BAT-2 heavy engineering vehicle: (1, destroyed)  
• 2 Mini MineWolf remote controlled mine clearance systems: (1 and 2, captured) 

Towed Artillery (25, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 24)

• 1 76mm ZiS-3 divisional gun: (1)
• 4 85mm D-44 divisional gun: (1, 2, 3 and 4, captured)
• 2 100mm MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun: (1, captured)(2, captured)
  
• 17 122mm D-30 howitzer: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, captured)(8, 9, 10 and 11, captured)(12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, captured)
• 1 152mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer: (1, destroyed)
  

Self-Propelled Artillery (9, of which destroyed: 6, captured: 3)

• 4 152mm ShKH vz. 77 DANA: (1, destroyed)(2, destroyed)(1, captured)(2, captured)
• 5 203mm 2S7 Pion: (1, 2, 3 and 4, destroyed)(1, captured)

Anti-Aircraft Guns (2, of which captured: 2)

• 1 23mm ZU-23: (1, captured)
• 1 57mm AZP S-60: (1, captured)

Surface-To-Air Missile Systems (6, of which captured: 6)

• 2 9K33 Osa-AK: (1, captured)(2, captured)
• 2 9A310M1 TELAR (for Buk-M1): (1, captured)(2, captured)
  
• 2 9A39M1 TEL (for Buk-M1): (1, captured)(2, captured)

Radars (2, of which destroyed: 2)

• 1 P-18 ''Spoon Rest D'': (1, destroyed)
• 1 ST86U/36D6-M ''Tin Shield'': (1, destroyed)

Aircraft (3, of which destroyed: 3)

• 3 An-2 utility aircraft: (1, 2 and 3, destroyed)

Helicopters (3, of which destroyed: 3)

• 1 Mi-14BT transport helicopter: (1, destroyed)
• 1 Mi-24V attack helicopter: (1, destroyed)
  
• 1 Mi-24P attack helicopter: (1, destroyed)

Naval Ships (9, of which destroyed: 7, captured: 2)

• 1 La Combattante II-class fast attack craft Dioskuria '303': (1, scuttled)
• 1 Matka-class missile boat Tbilisi '302': (1, scuttled)
• 1 Lindau-class minesweeper Aeti: (1, scuttled but subsequently refloated and returned to service as a training platform.)
• 1 Stenka class patrol boat P-21 Giorgi Toreli: (1, destroyed)
• 3 Zhuk class patrol boat (Operated by the Coast Guard): (1, P 204, destroyed)(2, P 203 scuttled and subsequently refloated but not returned to service)(3, P 205, destroyed)
• 1 Project 1387 class patrol boat Tskhaltubo '101': (1, scuttled)
• 2 RHIB: (1, captured)(2, captured)
  

Trucks, Vehicles and Jeeps (44, of which destroyed: 17, damaged: 1, captured: 26)

• 7 MAZ-537: (1, destroyed)(1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, captured)
• 1 KrAZ-255B: (1, captured)
• 13 KrAZ-6322: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, destroyed)(9, destroyed)(10, destroyed)(1, captured)(2, captured)(3, captured)
  
• 1 Ural-43206: (1, captured)
• 1 KamAZ 6x6: (1, captured)
• 1 MAN KAT1 4x4: (1, captured)
• 7 Land Rover Defender: (1, destroyed)(2 and 3, destroyed)(1, damaged)(1, damaged and captured)(2, captured)(3, captured)
• 6 M35A2: (1, captured)(2 and 3, captured)(4 and 5, captured)(6, captured)
  
• 4 M35A3: (1 and 2, destroyed)(3, destroyed)(1, captured) 
• 4 M99A1 HMMWV: (1, 2, 3 and 4, captured)