Wow the map
What are the areas with stripes? Not 100% under control?
About the T-72...
What ukraine had before the war? Roughly 500 to 800 T-72 total? Maybe ~100 of them being operable... Most of those should be T-72B model 1985-89, with 4S20 (kontakt 1) ERA bricks... right? Ukraine probably also have a fair amount of older T-72, like T-72A(V) or T-72M1(V)...
Why would they use them, because they lost too much T-64 and can't replace them with stocks? It seems quite unbelievable to me, but, why not.
Of course, for kiev, using T-72 helps a lot its propaganda machine and delivers doubt, because "everyone knows UKR uses T-64"... And blame russia for those T-72 on its territory when they lose some.
As crazy and foolish as it sounds, Vann7, those *might* still be real russian T-72B3. Yes it's senseless for russia to send such tanks while they can easily send in T-64B or older T-72B... But, maybe it's not as easy as we think:
Look it this way: between 2011-early 2014, many units saw their T-72B or T-80B tanks being replaced by those new T-72BA and T-72B3... And guess what happened to them old tanks, scraped, stocked, or sent for overhaul... Basically unavailable. And when there was a urge to send tanks to help NAF, they had no other choice than sending these tanks ready and operable. My guess, those T-72B3 were simply given to rebels, but it may also be real russian crew inside sent in special assist operation by their hierarchy. According to all accounts anyway, crews were not seen/captured, simply evacuated safely after disabling or break down. Destroyed T-72B3 with turret far away was probably blown up later by demolition charges by UKR soldiers, to be sure rebels wouldn't use them again.
For the white stripes... It can simply be painted just after UKR forces found them and "captured them" for their own use, it proves nothing.
For the other theory, can you find any T-72M/ M1 in eastern europe which had such modernisation like 4S22 ERA (kontakt 5), and other obvious guizmos typical of T-72B3/BA?... It's bogus to me. Even if they were wicked enough to mount such a false flag and disguise a pair of T-72M into T-72B3, they frankly wouldn't have... They have other problems really, the entire army collapses, they don't have time for such things.
Imho, russia sent already several dozen tanks to the rebels, including T-64BV either from russian stocks or former UKR units in crimea, regular T-72B and those handful T-72BA/B3. Amount is between ~15 and 50 certainly.