The first Leopard-2 main battle tank was reportedly destroyed in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian national news agency UNIAN reported.
The first documented loss of Ukraine’s most advanced tank in service emerged on social media on Friday.
Footage shared on social media shows one Leopard 2A6 was abandoned and another German-made tank was destroyed.
It was reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces convoy was defeated due to early detection by Russian aerial reconnaissance. Ukraine lost at least 6 fighting vehicles and at least two Leopard 2A6 tanks and one Leopard 2A4.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian Army conducted counteroffensive operations in three frontline areas. In particular, the Ukrainian military launched a “limited but still significant attack” in the western part of Zaporizhzhia region on the night of June 7-8.
Russian forces apparently defended themselves against this attack in a doctrinal manner and probably regained their original positions as of June 8, analysts say.
Joseph Dempsey, Research Associate for Defense and Military Analysis at the U.K.-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, noted on social media that no system can be expected to survival every engagement, but the ongoing supply to and effective use by Ukraine will continue to shape the outcome of the wider conflict.
Destroyed donated Bradley IFV & Leopard 2 MBT
Expect more similar scenes, but be weary of interpretation…
No system can be expected to survival every engagement, but the ongoing supply to and effective use by Ukraine will continue to shape the outcome of the wider conflict. pic.twitter.com/50I2IcW5fZ
— Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) June 9, 2023
Fighting raged between Ukrainian and Russian troops last week in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and near the Bakhmut city in the Donetsk region. The reports come amid expectations of a major Ukrainian offensive.
