Such is the case today with Russian soldiers, but also with those armchair experts who are relying on grainy footage taken by a drone.Įven those on the ground in wartime may not know what they're seeing. It is worth noting that the 'fog of war' can further confuse matters, which make it hard to confirm if any Leopard 2 tanks have actually destroyed. In addition, at least three and perhaps more in operation with the Turkish military have been destroyed or heavily damaged fighting ISIS forces in Syria. One took significant damage while another was destroyed in Afghanistan – victims of Taliban IEDs (improvised explosive devices). It was in January that Berlin announced it would allow Leopard 2s in service with other European nations to be re-exported to aid Ukraine, while Germany later agreed to supply Kyiv with a number of the tanks as well.ĭespite its reputation for being among the very best MBTs in service, it isn't indestructible of course. It continues to be employed by the armed forces of Germany and has been exported to several NATO allies, as well as to the nations of Chile, Indonesia, and Singapore. The third-generation Leopard 2 was developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s and it replaced the Leopard 1 as the West German Army's primary MBT in 1979. Whether it is a Leopard 2 or not, is not obvious,' explained military vehicles historian John Adams-Graf, editor of History in Motion, the magazine of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association.

'I have watched and re-watched the video, and at best, can say that the clip is spliced together showing two different events: First an indirect fire barrage on what appears to be a column of armored personnel carriers (APCs) and armor and second, a burning vehicle somewhat distant from that column of APCs and armor. Though the videos shared on Thursday were more convincing than the footage of the 'farm harvester' from earlier in the week, it is hard to confirm that it was a Leopard 2, or other Western MBT, that came under fire and was destroyed.

However, Russia has long employed disinformation campaigns, while releasing highly edited videos that have often been presented out of context. The truth certainly has been a casualty in the ongoing conflict, and both Kyiv and Moscow continue to make claims about the losses of the other side.

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