Russian claims on Leopard 2A6 tank performance disputed by analysts
The Russian agency TASS has reported on the completion of analyses of the Leopard 2A6 tank, which was captured by Putin's forces in Ukraine. The German tank was deemed significantly inferior to Russian machines. However, the opinions of Western analysts, Ukrainian soldiers, and the progression of the war contradict this Russian narrative.
The Leopard 2A6, from the early 21st century, is one of the newer NATO tanks supplied to Ukraine by Western allies. It is also considered one of the more valuable acquisitions that the Russians have managed to secure (alongside, for example, Abrams tanks or Swedish CV90s). The Russians subject such equipment to analyses, hoping to glean new insights about the technologies employed by NATO.
Russians evaluated the German tank
According to a statement from TASS, citing experts from Rostec Corporation, evaluations of the German Leopard 2A6 tank—seized from Ukrainian forces—suggest it falls short in comparison to Russia’s mass-produced armored vehicles such as the T-72B3M, T-80BVM, and T-90M, which are considered more effectively adapted to the demands of contemporary combat.
The course of the war in Ukraine does not support such statements from the Russians. Data from the creators of the Oryx blog, who document equipment losses on both sides in the ongoing war, suggest that the Ukrainians have lost 13 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 26 Leopard 2A4 tanks, and 22 Abrams tanks. Russian losses of their T-72B3M, T-80BVM, and T-90M tanks are counted in the hundreds.
In the case of the T-90M alone, the Oryx blog records 136 units lost, and this is considered the best tank in Russia. Vladimir Putin, visiting the Uralvagonzavod arms manufacturing centre, even claimed it to be the best tank in the world. Not only do the heavy losses in combat tell a different story, but analyses from Ukrainians suggest something contrary. They consider it more of a failure than a significant advancement.
An employee of the German company KNDS mentioned in an interview that while the Leopard 2A6 is one of the newer tanks in Ukraine, it is in fact over 20 years old, and the Russians are unlikely to discover anything revolutionary in it.
Ukrainians value NATO tanks
Ukrainian soldiers do not share the Russian evaluation of the Leopard 2A6 tank. According to them, it is a tank that performs excellently in the context of modern warfare and significantly surpasses post-Soviet designs.
The TASS report also mentioned that the Ukrainian army is making various modifications to outdated Leopard 1 tanks, but "these vehicles have largely lost their efficiency."
In this regard, the statements from Ukrainian soldiers also refute Russian claims. They have spoken positively about older variants of the Leopard as well.
