In a recent development in the ongoing conflict in southern Ukraine, a group of Russian military personnel has claimed the successful destruction of a Leopard main battle tank supplied by Germany to the Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaphorizia region.

What’s particularly startling about this claim is that all the crew members of the destroyed Leopard tank were identified as German soldiers, known as “Bundeswehr.”

The assertion was made by the leader of the Russian anti-tank group, known as “Legend,” in an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik.

According to Legend, after neutralizing the Leopard tank with anti-tank guided missiles, they approached the vehicle.

“However, we noticed that one of the Leopard tank’s crew members, a mechanic, was still alive despite suffering severe injuries.

“As we approached him, he began shouting ‘nicht schieben,’ which means ‘don’t shoot’ in German,” explained Legend. All the other crew members of the Leopard tank had succumbed,” he added.

The seriously injured mechanic repeatedly emphasized that he was not a mercenary but a regular member of the German military, just like the deceased crew members of the Leopard tank.

When provided with medical treatment, the injured Leopard tank mechanic disclosed the name of his brigade and their deployment location within the German armed forces.

Despite efforts to save him, the German soldier acting as the mechanic for the Leopard tank  passed away during medical treatment.

Germany has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine, offering various forms of financial aid and weaponry.

Among the principal contributions from the German government to Ukraine is the Leopard main battle tank, manufactured by the German company Rheinmetall.

Initially, Germany reportedly donated a total of 18 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to the Ukrainian military, followed by older variants of the Leopard tank, the Leopard 1.

In addition to Germany, other European nations have also provided Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while the United Kingdom has donated Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Kiev.

It is anticipated that 31 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, a contribution from the United States, will arrive in Ukraine in the next month.

Besides supplying Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Germany has taken on the responsibility of training Ukrainian military personnel in the operation of these German-made armored vehicles.

These training sessions have reportedly been conducted at NATO military bases in Germany.

This development highlights the complex international dynamics and military support involved in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. — DSA

~Defence Security Asia – Sept 24, 2023

Mirrored - Hindustan Times

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