No one mentioned it to them...until now
Actually, they knew it since the invention of the Tank. They don’t care about the crew, just the outcome and as we can see to some degree, the outcome is not so good when your tank army is being decimated by ATGM/ATMs. You see, the west care enough about the crews (because they are actually the weapon, the tank is just the tool) to make them safer and well enough armored not just at the glacis and turret front, but pretty much everywhere. Our tanks have long had blast compartments and access doors that expose the crew to ammunition risks only when opened and then only for a brief moment.
According to the article they knew about it but the design made the tank lower and more difficult to hit. I guess they figured the trade off was worth it.