The Western-supplied armor was eliminated using a Lancet loitering munition and a Msta-S howitzer, the Defense Ministry has said
Russian forces have destroyed two more Western-supplied Leopard tanks in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Monday, providing footage of the attacks.
In its report, the ministry stated that the two Leopards had been spotted by reconnaissance in separate districts of Kharkov Region. The tanks were reportedly camouflaged and were firing on Russian positions.
After confirming the target, the crew of a Russian Msta-S self-propelled howitzer used a Krasnopol high-precision projectile to direct pinpoint fire on the enemy tank. The operator of a Lancet loitering munition did likewise.
The destruction of the two Leopards was confirmed via aerial footage shared by the ministry. It is unclear which variants of the German-made Leopard were destroyed in the attack.
Kiev has received dozens of Leopard tanks from several Western countries. The Ukrainian military has been supplied with both Leopard 2A4 and older Leopard 1A5 tanks, although the latter have only been seen on the frontline on a handful of occasions.
Leopard 2 tanks have seen extensive action over the course of the conflict, particularly last year, when they spearheaded Kiev’s ultimately unsuccessful counteroffensive, which resulted in heavy casualties and little territorial gain for the Ukrainian side.
In January, Foreign Affairs magazine estimated that of the “fewer than 100 Leopard 2s in Ukrainian service,” at least 26 had already been knocked out, while many others were unusable due to “repair and maintenance issues.”
Since then, Russia has continued to regularly report the destruction of Leopard tanks. It is unclear how many of the vehicles remain in Ukraine’s inventory.
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