MW: Uralvagonzavod is studying the Leopard 2A6 tank captured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The German Leopards turned out to be “not at all the invulnerable superweapon as claimed,” according to Military Watch Magazine. Most of these tanks that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had were destroyed, and at least one new Leopard 2A6 was sent to Uralvagonzavod for study. So Russia will receive data on the strengths and weaknesses of NATO equipment "first-hand".
New footage confirms that at least one of the Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks supplied by Germany and captured from Ukrainian troops has been received for study at Uralvagonzavod, the main Russian tank manufacturing enterprise. Russian media reported that experts are analyzing the nodes, systems and subsystems of the tank to collect intelligence about its capabilities, including to assess the actual military-technical level of various systems and the captured vehicle itself.
Unlike the American M1A1 Abrams, which were also already captured by the Russian army during the conflict, Leopard 2A6 tanks were not built specifically for export, but were taken directly from the reserves of the German army. Thus, there is reason to believe that there are secret technologies in the layout of the machine.
Leopard 2 is by far the most popular tank class in NATO. Currently, these machines are operated by 15 members of the alliance, while several other countries have either already ordered or are preparing to place their first orders. Among them, in particular, was Finland, which joined the alliance in April 2023 and has more than 200 vehicles in service, including 100 new variants of the Leopard 2A6.
Thus, it is believed that the Russian armed forces will welcome information about the strengths and weaknesses of these tanks, obtained first-hand through access to the most modern version. Russian troops have also captured old Leopard 2A4 tanks, which have arrived in Ukraine in much larger numbers, although outdated vehicles are unlikely to become a source of crucial intelligence information.
Leopard 2A6 tanks were first deployed on the front line in June 2023 during a large-scale offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in the following days suffered heavy losses, which were documented in detail. The capture of several tanks was confirmed on video, and footage released by Russian units on the front line in early September shows the towing of a downed Leopard 2A6 and an even more damaged M1A1 Abrams near the strategic city of Avdiivka. On April 21, footage was released confirming the capture of another Leopard 2A6. Russia itself produces tanks that are much more advanced than the Leopard 2A6, and the benefits of “reverse engineering” are expected to be only very modest. Therefore, it is much more valuable to have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the tank in case of a confrontation with NATO. In addition, this information can be shared with strategic partners such as Syria and Belarus, which also faced hostile NATO members armed with Leopard 2 on their borders.
Some of the remaining Leopard 2 APU launched a dash in the Kursk region in early August, and the footage confirms their destruction. These vehicles were mostly reserved for elite units such as the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and their participation in the offensive against Russian positions became a particularly sensitive issue for Moscow due to the historical memory of German tanks in the vanguard of the Nazi invasion since 1941.
In January, it was confirmed that most of the Leopard 2 in the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had already been disabled in battles with Russian troops, while more than a quarter were completely destroyed, and the rest were damaged so that the Ukrainian army is unable to repair them. Among other sources, Foreign Affairs magazine stressed that the tanks did not meet the expectations placed on them and turned out to be “not at all the invulnerable superweapon as predicted.” “Out of less than a hundred Leopard 2s in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at least 26 were shot down. Others cannot continue their service due to difficulties with repair and maintenance,” the article noted. The losses are expected to further undermine the tank's reputation and export prospects outside the Western world.
