Russian Forces Capture NATO Tanks, US Bradleys in Ukraine
By FRANKIE STOCKES
Video footage purports to show Russian military forcing capturing NATO-produced and supplied Leopard tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Video footage from the frontlines of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict purportedly shows Russian forces capturing “several” NATO-supplied Leopard tanks from the Ukrainians. Ukraine’s NATO-supplied tanks are playing a leading role in the military’s current counteroffensive attempt against the Russians, which observers say has been met with mixed results and has thus far not dealt a major blow.
Video footage released online by Russian news outlet RT and others shows Russian soldiers approaching a group of heavily damaged Ukrainian tanks, that appear to have been abandoned after a Russian attack. According to RT, “the distinctive turret shape of the German-made tank is clearly visible in the video,” indicating that tanks are among those supplied to the Ukrainians by NATO.
According to photos and statements released by the Russian government, Russian troops have also captured/destroyed American-made Bradley fighting vehicles used by the Ukrainians.
“Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. These are our trophies,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russian forces capture ‘several’ NATO tanks in Ukraine, where the tanks are spearheading an attempted Ukrainian counteroffensive. pic.twitter.com/aKFYTjKIj4
— Frankie Stockes – Reporter (@stockes76) June 13, 2023
In another recent video from the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, published on Twitter by the @visegrad24 news page on June 8th, a Ukrainian Leopard 2A4 tank was destroyed in a Russian artillery strike that was caught on video from above.
“It’s the first case of Ukraine losing a Leopard tank”, the tweet reads.
“The Leopards and Abrams tanks will keep being sent to Ukraine [by NATO].”
Looks like a Ukrainian Leopard 2A4 tank was destroyed by Russian artillery near Novopokrovka, in the Zaporizhzhia region.
It’s the first case of Ukraine losing a Leopard tank.
The Leopards and Abrams tanks will keep being sent to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/PoOVwHBXKl
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 8, 2023
Ukraine has been pledged hundreds of tanks by Western powers, including the United States, as NATO uses the Eastern European nation to wage a proxy war against Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to recent news reports, many of the tanks have yet to be delivered, but those that have are playing a pivotal role in the counteroffensive that’s currently being attempted against the Russians by Ukrainian forces.
The counteroffensive has reportedly been met with intense Russian and separatist resistance and Ukrainian forces are taking heavy casualties to gain “meters” of territory. It comes on the heels of a defeat for the Ukrainians at the city of Bakhmut in the Donbas Region, which was captured by the Russians after NATO media claimed they’d retreated.
Though the Ukrainians and Western media have attempted to downplay the significance of the loss, Ukraine had publicly believed Bakhmut to be an extremely important piece of territory.
During his visit to the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a Joint Session of Congress that Bakhmut was his military’s “stronghold in the Donbas” and that the battle would “change the trajectory of our war.”
The fighting there was so intense, on the ground sources have reported, that Ukrainian soldiers were estimated to have just a 4-hour life expectancy upon reaching the Bakhmut front.
