Key Points – The German-made Leopard 2 main battle tank has proven to be a valuable asset for Ukrainian forces, playing a critical role in both defensive operations and offensive actions like the 2024 Kursk incursion.
-Ukrainian crews, particularly from the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, have demonstrated the Leopard 2’s effectiveness in combat.
-Notable engagements include a successful ambush of a Russian armored column in Donetsk, where a Leopard 2 used cover to destroy multiple enemy vehicles, and another victory near Pokrovsk against Russian forces spearheaded by “turtle tanks” whose compromised visibility and turret rotation made them vulnerable in close-quarters combat.
How Has The Leopard 2 Performed in Ukraine?
Besides the US M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT), no other foreign armored vehicle’s battlefield performance was more anticipated in the Ukraine war than the German-made Krauss-Maffei Wegman Leopard 2 MBT.
The Leopard 2A4 is one of the most widely used Western tanks. In Ukraine’s service, it has become a valuable battlefield addition to the other non-Soviet design armored technology donated to Kyiv.
Like the Russian tanks employed in battle against Ukraine, the Leopard has a basic design that has been modernized and perfected over the past four decades.
The tank was initially introduced in the late 1980s. However, thanks to the constant modifications and successively more capable re-designed models, it remains a weapons platform that has almost no peers in firepower, protection, and mobility.
The Ukrainian armed forces have received two main variants of these tanks: one being the older Leopard 1A5 and the other being the more advanced Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A6 models.
Over 100 Leopard 2A4 and 2A6 tanks were provided to Ukraine by a list of nations: Germany, Spain, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
These more modern tanks were a critical factor in defending Ukrainian territory during several offensive operations launched by the Russian armed forces. They were also the lead offensive element in Ukraine’s offensive operations in the Kursk region.
While the 2A4 and 2A6 models were delivered from the inventory of the countries listed and presented “as-is”, hundreds of other refurbished Leopard 1A5 tanks were also provided to Ukraine.
The Leopard’s Own Highway of Death
One account of the Leopard in action in Ukraine this year involved a Russian convoy traveling along a dirt road near a forested area in the Eastern Donbas province of Donetsk.
A Leopard tank situated in a defensive position inside of a nearby could target the lead Russian tank without being detected.
By using the settlement buildings as concealment, the Leopard engaged the column with direct fire, all the while using the cover that the buildings near its position provided a significant tactical advantage over the Russian forces.
“While maneuvering, the tank crew fired with precision, striking at least five enemy armored vehicles. Some were hit multiple times, resulting in the destruction of the entire column, including the personnel it was transporting,” this according to OSUV Khortytsia Telegram channel, one of the Ukraine eyewitness military social media outlets..
This particular operation was carried out by the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. The personnel of this unit effectively ambushed the advancing Russian forces and destroyed the entire column.
According to Ukrainian military sources, much credit is due to the firepower and accuracy of the Leopard 2 tank in this engagement.
In 4 Words: The Leopard Is Dangerous
The 33rd Mechanized Brigade and its up-armored Leopard 2A4s were involved in another engagement late last year – only this time not from a distance where they could be used for long-range precision fires. This battle saw the German MBT engage in close quarter combat and carried the day.
This was another engagement against a Russian column, but what aided the Leopards was that the Russian force had two of what are called “turtle tanks” in the lead positions.
These tanks are called such in that they are draped with what is described as “bulky anti-drone armor that obscures the crews’ visibility and also prevents the tanks’ turrets from rotating.”
“Limited visibility and engagement options [are the consequences] once you ‘turtled’ your tank—and suddenly you find yourself in an engagement with a Leo 2,” was the comment from the open-source intelligence analyst Moklasen.
This battle occurred during another successive Russian offensive launched towards the strategically important Donbas city of Pokrovsk. At the same time, the Russian forces were engaged in this action, launching a counteroffensive against Ukrainian-held territory in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which may have diluted their offensive power in both initiatives.
The Kursk salient was territory that had been taken in August 2024 during a surprise Ukraine offensive.
This pattern of continuing to press forward and conduct assault after assault by the Russians regardless of losses is what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s generals are hoping will eventually break the Ukrainian forces.
The problem with the Russian equation is that the Ukrainians are continuing to “give as good as they get,” said one Ukrainian defense industry director who spoke with me by phone from Kyiv.
“Anyone who thinks Ukrainians will simply give up hasn’t been paying attention,” commented Tatarigami, the founder of the Ukrainian Frontelligence Insight analysis group.
About the Author
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
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