Russian defense chiefs have been mocked for claiming they destroyed a deadly German-supplied Leopard 2 tank, when in fact they had blown up tractors in Ukrainian fields.
The taunts were led by Wagner’s private army chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who sees it as further evidence of the clumsy incompetence of Putin’s defense and army chiefs.
The Russian Defense Ministry praised the “images of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks.”
But in reality, military analysts say the footage showed Russia firing at agricultural vehicles with a missile fired from a Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter.
In the video, a Russian crew member aboard the helicopter can be heard asking: “What kind of machine is that?”
Russian defense chiefs have been mocked for claiming they destroyed a lethal German-supplied Leopard 2 tank, when in fact they hit a combine harvester in Ukrainian fields (pictured)
The Russian Defense Ministry praised the “images of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks.”
But in reality, military analysts say the footage showed Russia firing at agricultural vehicles with a missile fired from a Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter.
One soldier can be heard saying, “Let’s hit him,” to which the other responds, “Ready to hit him.”
They could then be heard celebrating the hit and saying, ‘Yes, direct hit.’
The Defense Ministry propaganda team told Russian media that the footage shows “the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks.”
Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the ministry spokesman, bragged about heavy Ukrainian losses without providing convincing evidence.
Total losses in recent fighting amounted to “more than 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen, 28 tanks, including eight FRG-made Leopard tanks, three French-made AMX-10 wheeled tanks, and 109 armored fighting vehicles.”
But even Russian military analysts questioned the images of the Leopard tank as the claim to destroy German tanks quickly failed.
The Military Inform Telegram channel scoffed: ‘We don’t want to say anything, but the vehicles in the images released by the Russian Defense Ministry look nothing like any tanks in silhouette.
“The silhouettes are more like combines. This is evidenced by the characteristic high-mounted discharge augers (pipes), which are clearly not guns due to their location. Also, the “tanks” do not show signs of turrets.
The suspected targets were John Deere 9000 grain combines and a John Deere 4830 sprayer-type tractor.
“We do not know why it was necessary to present footage of a mistaken defeat of agricultural equipment as a real video of the defeat of the Leopards,” the military analysts said.
Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, also accused Russian forces of mistaking the combines for the Leopard 2 tank.
“The Russian Defense Ministry has today published an impressive work of [its troops]’ he said sarcastically.
“The images clearly show the Leopard tanks moving in a strange tactical maneuver towards each other. These tanks are disguised as combines.
‘Their snouts are bent down. This did not stop our [troops] to discern the enemy team in them…
Russian defense chiefs have been mocked for claiming they destroyed a lethal German-supplied Leopard 2 tank, when in fact they hit a combine harvester in Ukrainian fields.
Military analysts mocked the Russian Defense Ministry for claiming to have destroyed a Leopard 2 tank, when in fact they had destroyed tractors
‘These [Ukrainian] The bastards have learned to disguise their tanks as harvesters and their crews as farmers. Thank you {Russian troops]for your excellent work. Now we will destroy everything with a crooked barrel.
Prigozhin also criticized the Russian Defense Ministry’s claims that it had killed 1,500 Kiev soldiers in two days in the besieged city of Bakhmut as “absurd science fiction”.
Prigozhin, whose mercenary troops have spent months fighting in Bakhmut on behalf of the Kremlin, scorned his country’s establishment after he claimed to have thwarted a second major offensive in Donetsk.
In remarks published on his press service’s Telegram channel, the 61-year-old said that killing many Ukrainian troops would require daily gains of 150 km (93 miles).
“Therefore, I think that this is just wild and absurd science fiction,” Prigozhin said.
Adding the figures provided by the ministry would imply that “we have already destroyed the entire planet five times,” he added sarcastically.
Separately, Prigozhin demanded that 200,000 soldiers be brought under his control to correct the mess left behind by the Russian forces.
He has warned that Russia is losing the war due to the incompetence of the army high command.
‘Wagner’s CMP [private military company] it is today the only complete military structure, with planes, helicopters, tanks, artillery and everything that is needed,’ he said.
‘I need 200,000 people. Less than 200,000 on the Lugansk-Donetsk front line will not keep up. We are willing to take full responsibility.
He warned that the Ukraine had already broken through the Russian lines.
Prigozhin last week criticized Russia’s military leaders after the Ukrainian armed forces managed to retake settlements on the outskirts of Bakhmut.
Prigozhin said it was a “shame” that Kiev troops were able to push back Russian lines and seize Berkhivka, a town in the northern suburbs of the embattled city.
Prigozhin’s Wagner group only last month managed to wrest Bakhmut from Ukrainian hands after months of brutal fighting reminiscent of World War I trench warfare, with tens of thousands killed on both sides.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.