Analysts say BTR-82 output surges as Russia militarises its economy

Analysts say Russia has significantly ramped up production of its most advanced armoured personnel carrier, the BTR-82, effectively reviving large-scale manufacturing of Soviet-style military vehicles.

According to a report by Caliber.Az, citing open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst Jompy, who publishes on the social network X, Russia has established full-scale serial production of BTR-82 armoured personnel carriers, with annual output potentially reaching up to 700 vehicles.

If anyone still doubts Russia keeps manufacturing BTR-82s and at a steady rate, they just have to look at the constant number of destroyed BTR-82s. Armazas really doing a huge job. https://t.co/N18tvyUTQa

— Jompy (@Jonpy99) October 31, 2025

Evidence of this surge comes from battlefield data: statistics tracking equipment losses on the Ukrainian front increasingly show BTR-82s among the destroyed Russian vehicles — a sign, analysts say, of their widespread deployment.

In contrast, older BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles have almost vanished from the lists of recent Russian combat losses. Jompy dismissed suggestions that Moscow has been refurbishing old BTR-80s, noting that Russia had “almost no BTR-80s in storage before the war,” making large-scale restoration unlikely.

Instead, he argued, the growing presence of BTR-82s on the battlefield reflects Russia’s ability to produce between 500 and 700 new vehicles a year, a figure that underscores what he described as the large-scale militarisation of the Russian economy.

By Tamilla Hasanova