FACT CHECK: Posts Claims Ukrainian Challenger 2 Tank Was Not Destroyed

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

Social media posts are claiming Russia didn’t destroy a Ukrainian Challenger 2 tank.

Verdict: False

The video does show a Ukrainian Challenger 2 tank, according to multiple media outlets and independent analysts. The United Kingdom Defense Secretary confirmed the Challenger 2 tank was destroyed.

Fact Check:

Ukraine is continuing its offensive in the south, making gains around the village of Verbove and trying to punch through Russia’s defensive lines, according to The New York Times. A video of a destroyed Challenger 2 tank began circulating on social media, with some social media users stating that the video’s caption was inaccurate. (RELATED: Russia Today Headline Claiming Prigozhin’s Pilot Had Post-Vaccine Myocarditis Is Fabricated)

However, the video does show a Ukrainian Challenger 2 tank. Multiple media outlets, such as the Guardian and Bloomberg, reported that the tank was indeed a Challenger 2. Furthermore, independent analysts such as Oryx Blog, a website that tracks military equipment losses in the Russian-Ukrainian War, and UA Weapons Tracker stated that the tank was a Challenger 2.


A “Western defense source” told BBC News that the tank was hit by a mine, forcing the crew to abandon the tank before being destroyed by a Russian Lancet loitering munition. U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed to Sky News that the Challenger 2 tank was destroyed in Ukraine and said it was hit by artillery.

Misinformation around the Russian-Ukrainian war is not new. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video claiming to show Russian President Vladimir Putin at Wagner Group founder Yevengy Prigozhin’s funeral.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
Follow Elias on Twitter Have a fact check suggestion? Send ideas to [email protected].

Trending