The German Leopard 2 tank appeared in the Ukrainian battlefield and could not prove its combat ability.
According to the Russian “Military Commentary” page, the Russian Army destroyed hundreds of armored vehicles in repelling the offensive attempts of the Ukrainian Army in the direction of Zaporozhye. In which, the Leopard 2 tank, the weapon that Kiev has high hopes for, is no exception.
On the night of June 8, the Ukrainian Army launched an attack in the Orekhovsky area of Zaporozhye province. The Ukrainian army used a number of tanks and armored vehicles about 40 units as the spearhead; German-aided Leopard 2s also participated. The Russian ground and air reconnaissance forces detected the Ukrainian raid from afar; helping the Ka-52 armed helicopter to reach the target of the Ukrainian armored convoy in time.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions faced obstacles in the form of minefields, halting the advance of Leopard 2A6 tanks and Bradley M2A2 IFVs. To clear the path, the Ukrainian forces rolled out an IMR-2 engineering vehicle and a Leopard 2R breaching vehicle, targeting to pave the way for the 47th Brigade M-2A2 Bradleys and the attached Leopard 2A6s from the 33rd Brigade. According to a video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense on June 9, 2023, all the combat vehicles were destroyed by artillery fire.
According to Armyrecognition, there is evidence that at least a Leopard 2A6 (A4) tank and a T-64BV tank being destroyed by the Russian army in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Furthermore, a Ukrainian Oshkosh M-ATV MRAP, M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA IFV, and another Leopard 2A6 were reportedly damaged and abandoned in the vicinity.
According to reports, in the first two days of the counterattack, the Ukrainian army would have lost two Leopard 2A6 tanks, two T-64BV tanks, two AMX-10RC/RCR, 11 Bradley M2A2 IFVs, three Oshkosh M-ATV MRAPs, one BMR-2 mine clearing vehicle and several trucks. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Leopard 2 tank fighting in Ukraine is a hot topic of discussion. The Bild newspaper ran an article illustrated with photographs of destroyed Leopard tanks near the Zaporozhye city of Orekhov. The author writes that the first time the Russian army destroyed a German-made tank during the Ukraine conflict was recorded. This information attracted a lot of interest from German readers.
