Sunday10 November 2024
obkom.org.ua

"Did Ukraine lose 40 Leopards?" Let's examine the facts - Alexander Kovalenko.

A military analyst and blogger has debunked the propaganda claims regarding Ukraine's significant losses of Leopard 2 tanks.
"Украина утратила 40 Леопардов"? Давайте разберёмся в этом вопросе с фактами - Александр Коваленко.

Ukraine has lost 40 Leopard 2 tanks!

A sensational report is making waves across Russian propaganda platforms — Ukraine has lost 40 Leopard 2 tanks during the course of the war! This information, however, did not come from "Russian sources"; it was published by the respected Western outlet Business Insider.

Unfortunately, this news has been picked up by our journalists, who failed to analyze it in detail and simply quoted the high-level analysts from Business Insider, not much different from our keyboard monkeys.

So, let's discuss the verified losses of Leopard 2 tanks. I will start with the technical details.

When we talk about equipment losses, it is essential to understand that these losses fall into several categories:

  • destroyed, meaning they cannot be restored;
  • damaged, which means the tank has sustained damage that prevents it from performing its duties and has been sent for repairs;
  • damaged-abandoned, meaning the tank has been damaged but can be restored. However, it is located in a combat area where evacuation for repairs is impossible, leading to it being abandoned. Most often, such equipment becomes trophy assets.

Now, let's look at the facts. Not just words. For instance, using information from the monitoring group Oryx.

During the use of Leopard 2 tanks, this monitoring group has recorded a loss of 41 main battle tanks, categorized as follows:

  • destroyed – 19 units;
  • damaged – 9 units;
  • damaged and abandoned – 13 units.

This means that if we talk about losses, we are considering categories where non-recoverable losses account for less than 50%. This is due to the high level of armor on the tank and the high survival rate of the crew. Although, it's true that even these tanks require an increased level of protection under modern conditions.

Now, I would like to draw a parallel with the most modern Russian tank on the battlefield. No, not the T-14 "Armata," but the T-90.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 163 T-90 tanks:

  • destroyed – 98 units;
  • damaged – 15 units;
  • damaged and abandoned – 29 units;
  • 21 tanks were captured in fully operational condition.

The ratio of destroyed tanks to damaged ones is 2.2 to 1. I believe this is how the news should be presented from a professional standpoint, but alas… The news reports state that Ukraine "lost" 40 Leopard 2 tanks.

It's a good tank, after all. And in Ukraine, it has even improved, considering the delayed but rational and measured enhancement of armor.