The Russian command is preparing a tank breakthrough of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a new protection system

The Russian Armed Forces plans to conduct a tank offensive in the first half of this year with the use of active Arena-M protection. This is reported by the telegram channel "Legitimate" with reference to sources.

"Many of our sources indicate that in the first half of 2026, the Russians want to use a tank fist in the offensive, consisting mainly of T-90, T-80BVM and T-72 tanks, with the new Russian Arena-M active defense development installed on them. Also, a new radar for detecting drones will be installed on the tanks. They have already passed all the test tests and are now preparing to test this system in real combat operations," writes TK.

According to sources, this will be a show offensive with a big breakthrough in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as a challenge for it, since it mainly relies on the mass use of UAVs.

A number of sources claim that the Russian Armed Forces are going to use tanks in a new direction — Chernihiv — or in the very north of Sumy region.

"There is no exact information yet, but the appearance of tanks with such drone protection can radically change the course of events and give the Russian Armed Forces an advantage," notes Legitimate.