Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday that every single Leopard tank gifted to Ukraine by Poland and Portugal has been destroyed by the Ukrainian military. The Russian official revealed that all 16 of the German tanks were destroyed in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.
“In the south Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk directions alone where Ukrainian armed formations are undertaking unsuccessful attacks, the groupings of Russian forces destroyed 15 aircraft, three helicopters and 920 pieces of armor, including 16 Leopard tanks,” Shoigu said, according to Russian news agency TASS.
“This is actually 100 percent of the tanks of this type supplied by Poland and Portugal.”
Shoigu added that Russian forces “continue effectively inflicting damage on the enemy by firepower,” diminishing Ukraine’s “offensive potential.”
Shoigu appeared to reference Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, which Kyiv officials have so far reported as largely successful.
Of course, there is no way to confirm this, and Russian battlefield claims have been total lies in the past.
Did A Viral Video Reveal Too Much About Ukraine’s Leopard Tanks?
Video footage shared on social media over the weekend may have revealed a little too much about other Leopard tanks still in possession, and regular use, by the Ukrainian military.
The video, which has been seen hundreds of thousands of times, showed an upgraded 2A4U model. The unique tank is technically an unofficial designation of the tank that has not previously been sold.
The clip, which lasts only seconds, shows the German main battle tank (MBT) fitted with upgraded Kontank-1 explosive reactive armor (ERA), as well as additional rubber screens. What makes the tank unique is not just that it has been upgraded, but because it is a Western European tank fitted with Soviet-designed ERA.
The video, shot from the front of the tank, shows the vehicle moving forwards slowly while an operator aims the turret and a driver’s head appears through the front hatch.
Leopard 2A4 in Ukrainian service with add-on Kontakt-1 ERA and rubber screens. pic.twitter.com/6Cw0uzQrMI
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 1, 2023
Additional footage also emerged over the weekend showing a Leopard 2A6 variant that appears to have been destroyed by the Russian military. The video, though only seconds long, shows the tank in what looks to be a state of disrepair. The tracks are nowhere to be seen and much of its armor is black and damaged.
The clip, shared on Telegram and reposted to Twitter by popular war-tracking account Ukraine Weapons Tracker, shows the vehicle surrounded by large craters, indicating that it was hit by enemy artillery.
“A Ukrainian Leopard 2A6 tank was destroyed by Russian forces during fighting in #Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker writes.
#Ukraine: A Ukrainian Leopard 2A6 tank was destroyed by Russian forces during fighting in #Zaporizhzhia Oblast. pic.twitter.com/XmcUbVkaUu
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) July 3, 2023
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
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