Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works?
Yes, this is exactly how it works, a mothballed tank is taken from the warehouse, the re-mothballing procedure is carried out and the tank is ready to fight. Ukrainian fighters of the defense are similarly armed with Soviet-made Kalashnikovs, they are new in factory lubrication, as part of the Ukrainian legacy from the USSR. Old Soviet tanks played an important role in the military doctrine of the USSR, providing the ability to strike with a mechanized tank column within 48 hours anywhere in the Eurasian continent. The current military doctrine of Russia is more progressive and less relies on the brute force of tank divisions, but the tanks themselves have not gone away. That's where they came in handy.
I see... you seem to be lacking a few basic on maintenance, material sciences and mechanical engineering as Putin seems to be lacking trained crews and supplies. I am glad to know that Putin's strategic defence is based on these premises, I feel much safer. I hope the US military does not find out about this battleplan, most of them are much more aggressive than me.
Now, about that doctrine and theories... where are those tanks? They do not seem to be in Kyiv? When there is a difference between words and facts, I tend to look at facts, but that's just me.
I think these tanks for the most part continue to be stored in hangars, because in such quantities they are simply not needed in the operation in Ukraine. The very concept of warfare has changed a lot in 30-50 years. A key factor for the success of the operation in Ukraine is Russia's control over the airspace. You don't need a lot of tanks if your recon drones see the picture of what is happening, and the Ukrainian army is actually fighting blindly. Not knowing where and when the next blow will come from the sky.
The young, unfired soldiers, for whose fate you are so touchingly worried, are also not needed. Mostly professional military personnel with real combat experience take part in the operation from the Russian side. It should sound like "100%" instead of "mostly", but unfortunately it seems not so and it turned out that somewhere in the supply of the rear units, conscripts were involved. I hope this misunderstanding has now been completely corrected.
So, tanks are the strategy of Putin, but at the same time they are not the strategy of Putin and they are not needed, right?. I see.
So, Russia has air superiority, yet almost no planes are being used. And while some areas are attacked by cruise missiles, many are also stopped. This is certainly not my concept of air superiority, which anyway is not that useful for urban warfare, but just to humour your point.
While the US cannot send troops over the terrain, they are certainly feeding a sh*tload of info to the Ukrainian Army, basically the best military network of satellites and radars at their full disposal. Fighting blind... you must be joking.
On the soldiers... well, someone has to worry about them you know, and it does it seems that you and Putin could not care less about them. Nor their families.