Tank shot down months ago
German Leopard 2 falls into Russian hands
March 12, 2024, 12:33 a.m
Moscow’s units have apparently taken possession of a Leopard 2 near the city of Avdiivka. The Ukrainian crew is said to have given up the tank months ago because of a shell hit. The shift of the front to the west now allows the Kremlin soldiers to inspect the vehicle at close range.
According to a media report, Russian troops have captured a German Leopard 2A6 main battle tank. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, Russian soldiers published a photo of the vehicle online on Sunday. Accordingly, the photo was taken about 900 meters south of the village of Stepowe in the north of the city of Avdiivka, which has now been conquered by Moscow’s forces.
According to the report, it is the first Leopard 2 delivered to Ukraine that Russia was able to take control of. The tank was sent into battle by Ukrainian troops on October 30th and was damaged by a Russian artillery shell a day later and was then abandoned.
Russian drone footage from October 31 shows burning fuel pouring out from under the tank. All four crew members are said to have made it back to their own lines unwounded. Due to Russian territorial gains in the Avdiivka area, the Kremlin troops have now apparently succeeded in taking possession of the disabled tank.
The loss is painful for Ukraine. Since the delivery of the 18 Leopard 2A6s in early 2023, Germany has not delivered any additional battle tanks to Kiev, let alone promised them. The Federal Republic has more than 320 Leopard 2s. But not even one in three of them is said to be operational.
According to the online platform Oryx, which documents material losses in the Ukraine war with photos, Kiev’s armed forces have so far lost 17 Leopard 2A4s and 12 Leopard 2A6s. In addition to Germany, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Canada have also delivered Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Denmark and the Netherlands have announced such a project.