Moscow, September 20, 2024 — The Europe Today: The Russian military has successfully destroyed a German-made Leopard 2 tank in the Kursk Region, as Ukraine’s ongoing attempts to retain control over Russian territory face significant setbacks. Video footage circulating online shows the tank suffering multiple hits from kamikaze drones, leading to a massive fire.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that over 500 Ukrainian casualties had been inflicted across the Kursk Region in the preceding 24 hours. Along with two Leopard tanks, Russian forces destroyed four Swedish-made CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles and dozens of other armored vehicles and military equipment during the same period.
A video posted to the Northern Wind Telegram channel on Thursday captured Russia’s North group of forces using multiple first-person-view UAVs to target a Leopard 2A5 tank, one of the most advanced tanks in Ukraine’s arsenal. The footage revealed the tank’s turret engulfed in flames after the first hit, with subsequent strikes further incapacitating the vehicle.
While the exact timing of the footage remains unclear, the destruction of the Leopard tanks was not included in the Defense Ministry’s Thursday update, indicating the footage likely predates Wednesday’s official report.
Ukraine had launched a cross-border operation into the Kursk Region last month, with President Vladimir Zelensky aiming to secure control of Russian territory to bolster his position in potential peace talks. However, the Ukrainian advance quickly stalled, and Russian forces have since initiated a counteroffensive, pushing Ukrainian troops back toward the border.
The Russian Defense Ministry estimates that nearly 15,000 Ukrainian casualties have resulted from the ill-fated operation. Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky later admitted that the campaign was a strategic ploy to divert Russian forces from the Donbass front, a tactic that ultimately failed as Russia maintained its focus on advancing in the eastern region.
Moscow has reiterated its stance of not engaging in peace talks with Kiev as long as Ukrainian forces remain on Russian soil.
