Russian forces destroyed two more German-made Leopard tanks in the Kubyansk region, according to the military report issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Friday.
It said that the western group of Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian forces near the settlements of Artemovka in the Russian People’s Republic of Lugansk and Senkovka, Berestovo and Ivanovka in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
According to the ministry, Kiev forces lost a total of 20 soldiers, two Leopard tanks and three other vehicles in the attacks.
Russian media published footage showing the destruction of German tanks. According to the commander of the brigade that destroyed the tanks and released the footage, the vehicles were discovered at night and destroyed by Lancet drones at eight in the morning.
Russian forces destroyed two more German-made Leopard tanks in the Kubyansk region, according to the military report issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Friday. pic.twitter.com/Kz258Nxer6
– Hirek Russian (@RussianHirek) September 22, 2023
The Ministry of Defense also reported that the Southern Group of Russian Forces repelled four Ukrainian attacks near the settlements of Vodiane and Marinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. According to the ministry’s latest report, up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and wounded in these attacks, and two infantry fighting vehicles and three vehicles were destroyed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly rejected some Leopard shipments from its Western partners. According to German news site Der Spiegel, Kiev has refused to take delivery of a batch of 10 Leopard 1A5 tanks, citing that the tanks require extensive repair and maintenance work that requires specialized parts and technical expertise that Kiev simply does not possess.
Later, Denmark confirmed that it was using tanks from the museum’s exhibits to train Ukrainian crews on how to operate them.
In February, Berlin promised to deliver more than 100 Leopard tanks to Kiev along with the Netherlands and Denmark. However, according to a report by Die Welt newspaper in early August, only 10% of the promised tanks have been delivered so far.
After Kiev refused to deliver, the German side allegedly sent a team of experts to Poland, where the tanks were supposed to arrive in Ukraine.
After the investigation, experts allegedly came to the conclusion that the Panther tanks “were very worn out after the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany and needed repair.”
