Ukraine lost another Leopard 2 main battle tank. And it is not surprising, because in war tanks get used to the point of damage, breaking down, or complete destruction. If you want to keep tanks undamaged, keep them in storage. However, Russian invaders tried to capture that damaged tank and suffered losses themselves.
Russians attached a damaged Leopard tank to two recovery and technical support vehicles. (Screenshot)
It is not clear how that particular Leopard 2 was damaged. But it is likely that it was due to strikes from the usual suspects – FPV drones, anti-tank missiles or even a landmine. It was heavily damaged but protected its crew and did not explode to shreds like the old Soviet tanks usually do.
Russians saw it as an opportunity to capture a modern NATO tank and, probably, research the technology in it. They sent two armoured vehicles to retrieve the damaged Leopard 2, but damaged Ukrainian tanks are the cheese in the mousetrap for Russians.
Two Russian armoured repair and evacuation vehicles came to retrieve the damaged main battle tank. These huge machines themselves are based on tanks. They tried to tow the Ukrainian Leopard 2 from the battlefield near the village of Terni in Donetsk.
The Ukrainian tank, which appears to be a Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2A5) received from Sweden, was clearly damaged but continues rolling under the power of two large armoured vehicles. Russians probably were already rejoicing in the opportunity to examine the Leopard 2 and probably even film it for propaganda purposes, but suffered losses instead.
The defenders of Ukraine from the 12th Azov Brigade attacked the Russian armoured repair and evacuation vehicles with FPV drones. The result was simple – not only did the Russians not get the Leopard 2 they craved for so much, but they also lost two of their armoured vehicles:
Russians trying to evacuate a previously damaged and captured Ukrainian Leopard 2A4, but in the process, they come under Ukrainian fire. They abort the evacuation and lose an armored vehicle themself.
Kreminna direction near Terny. pic.twitter.com/IbFH8oGO0Q
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) March 19, 2024
Ukrainian drones cunningly attacked the engine compartments of Russian repair and evacuation vehicles. These machines do not have large-calibre ammunition, which is why there was no huge explosion. In fact, machines without internal ammunition can sometimes be surprisingly resilient so it is best to simply stop them and burn them with a few hits. It appears that the crew of those two vehicles managed to run away.
👀 Two Russian repair and evacuation vehicles tried to take the Ukrainian Leopard 2 from the battlefield near Terny.
🔥 RUBpAK operators of the 12th “Azov” brigade destroyed the enemy’s plans. FPV drones stopped enemy BREMs with precise hits in the engine compartments. pic.twitter.com/e5MtOTymzI
— MAKS 23 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) March 19, 2024
The loss of two armoured repair and evacuation vehicles is very significant. These machines are highly necessary and the number of the finite. However, the entire operation was a bit strange. Russians took a risk to try and steal that tank. There isn’t much they would’ve learned from it anyway, so it is likely that they wanted it mostly for their propaganda videos.
Written by Povilas M.
Source: Tsn.ua