FACT CHECK: No, Russia Did Not Destroy All Of Ukraine’s Leopard 2 Tanks

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook claims that all of Ukraine’s Leopard 2 tanks have been destroyed.

Verdict: False

Ukraine still has functioning Leopard 2 tanks. More than a dozen Leopard 2 tanks have been visually confirmed to be destroyed or damaged.

Fact Check:

The Facebook video, viewed more than 23,000 times, claims that all of Ukraine’s Leopard tanks were destroyed. The video’s caption reads, “Russian Military, Hit the Bull_s-Eye_ All Ukrainian Leopard Tanks Destroyed.”

However, there is no evidence that all of Ukraine’s Leopard tanks were destroyed. If all of Ukraine’s Leopards had been destroyed, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. A wider internet search did not yield any results either.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine switched tactics and is now preserving Leopard tanks and other Western-provided armored vehicles for a breakthrough. Oryx, a military analysis website that tracks visually confirmed equipment losses in the Russian-Ukrainian war, has documented 14 destroyed or damaged Leopard 2 tanks. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy Dancing With A Rocket Launcher?)

Check Your Fact found the original video and found that the title, while the same, has a question mark at the end of it, which means it is not making the claim that every Ukrainian Leopard was destroyed. The video cites Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who claimed July 3 that all 16 Leopard 2 tanks delivered from Portugal and Poland were destroyed, according to Alarabiya News.

Portugal provided 3 Leopard 2A6 tanks, and Poland provided 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks, according to Oryx. This also appears to be misleading, as Oryx documented only 6 Leopard 2A4 tanks have been confirmed as damaged or destroyed compared to 8 Leopard 2A6 tanks.

Check Your Fact previously fact-checked a video claiming that 68 Leopard tanks were destroyed.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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