Russian Claims Destroying Eight Leopard Tanks, Loses 15 of its Own in Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday claimed it destroyed eight Leopard tanks while losing 15 of its own during the current counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces.

Earlier on Tuesday, Moscow claimed its troops had destroyed eight Leopard tanks in the southern Donetsk area in repulsing a Ukrainian army attack.

“Total losses of Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk Region area were more than 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen, 28 tanks, of them 8 German-made Leopard tanks, 3 wheeled French-made АМХ-10 tanks, and 109 armored fighting vehicles,” the MoD said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, “Unfortunately, our losses were also not without. In total, 71 servicemen were killed in the Joint Group of Forces during the repulse of the enemy's offensive, 210 were injured… They hit: 15 tanks, nine infantry fighting vehicles, two cars and nine guns.”

Russia presumably employed Vikhr anti-tank missile systems to cripple the Ukrainian armor in the special military operation in Ukraine, state media reported.

Berlin announced earlier this year that it would provide a number of the Cold War-era Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Poland delivered the first batch of Leopard-2A4 tanks on February 24, with deliveries from other partners set to continue into the coming weeks.

The claims were not independently verified, and Ukraine has said the allegations are mere Russian propaganda and part of an ongoing disinformation campaign.

Leopard 2 a third-generation main battle tank whose 68-ton hulk is carried by two metal tank tracks that run the vehicle's length and carry it over terrain impassable by wheeled vehicles. In between them is an armored glacis plate built to protect against mines and missiles, the Business Insider reports.

The vehicle seen in Russia's video lacks these features, as well as other distinctive elements like the real Leopard's 120mm barrel, or the secondary armament of a mounted machine gun that a crew member can fire from the hatch.