According to the visually confirmed tank losses and interviews with Ukrainian service members, Forbes has estimated there were only five visually confirmed Leopard tank losses during the 13 weeks of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. At the same time, at least ten tanks were damaged while over 50 remain operational. The Ukrainians are repairing the damaged tanks at depots in Poland and Germany and returning them to the front.
“The fundamental toughness of the 69-ton Leopard 2 means tanks might take damage, visit a repair depot, return to the fighting then again take damage and head out for repairs. So on and so forth. The Leopard 2 lends itself to recycling,” Forbes writes, referring to Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Solon’ko, who spoke about the main advantage of the Leopard 2 tanks.
Ukraine received 71 Leopard 2 tanks, while 14 more were pledged and are expected to be delivered soon. In addition, Ukraine expects to receive 31 US-made Abrams tanks and more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks.
Leopard 2 tanks are also designed to increase the chance of the crew’s survival, even in case of a direct hit. Ammunition in the tank explodes outward when hit, unlike the Russian T-72 tanks, where ammunition is stocked under the turret and kills the crew when it explodes.
List of destroyed leopard 2s of the AFU from the beginning of the offensive to now. pic.twitter.com/LQIvjxzBXC
— 2S7 pion (trost) (@Trotes936897) August 28, 2023
