Russia boasts it has destroyed Leopard tanks... but analysts say they've ... trends now
Russian defence chiefs have been mocked for claiming to destroy a German-supplied lethal Leopard 2 tank - when in fact they had blown up tractors in Ukrainian fields.
The ridiculing was led by head of Wagner private army Yevgeny Prigozhin, who sees it as yet more evidence of blundering incompetence by Putin's defence chiefs and army.
The Russian defence ministry hailed 'footage of the destruction of foreign armoured vehicles, including Leopard tanks'.
But in reality, military analysts say the footage showed Russia blasting farm vehicles with a missile fired from a Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter.
In the video, a Russian crew member onboard the helicopter can be heard asking: 'What kind of machine is that?'
Russian defence chiefs have been mocked for claiming to destroy a German-supplied lethal Leopard 2 tank - when in fact they hit a combine harvester in Ukrainian fields (pictured)
The Russian defence ministry hailed 'footage of the destruction of foreign armoured vehicles, including Leopard tanks'
But in reality, military analysts say the footage showed Russia blasting farm vehicles with a missile fired from a Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter
One soldier can be heard saying: 'Let's hit it', to which the other responds: 'Ready to hit it.'
They then could be heard celebrating the strike and saying: 'Yeah, direct hit.'
The defence ministry's propaganda team told the Russian media that the footage shows 'the destruction of foreign armoured vehicles, including Leopard tanks'.
Lt-Gen Igor Konashenkov - the ministry's spokesman - boasted about vast Ukrainian losses while providing no convincing evidence.
Total losses in recent fighting amounted to 'over 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen, 28 tanks, including FRG-manufactured eight Leopard tanks, three French-manufactured AMX-10 wheeled tanks and 109 armoured fighting vehicles.'
But even Russian military analysts disputed the Leopard tank footage as the claim of destroying the German tanks quickly backfired.
The Military informer Telegram channel scoffed: 'We do not want to state anything, but the vehicles in the footage published by the Russian Ministry of Defence do not resemble any tanks at all in their silhouette.
'The silhouettes most closely resemble combine harvesters. 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 any signs of turrets.'
The suspected targets were John Deere 9000 grain harvesters and a John Deere 4830 sprayer-like
