On February 25, 2023, the first batch of German "Leopard 2" tanks arrived in Ukraine, and the then Minister of Defense of Ukraine Reznikov got into the cockpit and asked the onlookers with great excitement: How to go to Moscow? Now, his dream has come true, and the "Leopard 2" tank has arrived in Moscow, but not in the way he wants.
The then Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, drilled into the Leopard 2 tank for an experience
At that time, the Russian-Ukrainian front was still fighting fiercely on both sides, and it was evenly matched. Zelensky asked for a lot of weapons and equipment from the West, in addition to the German "Leopard 2" tank, the American "Patriot" air defense system is also on the way. The United States and the West are trying their best to advocate that if you get these equipment, Ukraine will undoubtedly win, Zelensky, you are Qin Shi Huang touching the electric door, and you will win. But it didn't take long for the important town of Bakhmut to be lost, the spring counteroffensive was defeated, and then the United States' military aid funds for Ukraine ran out, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, and Zelensky became an "orphan" abandoned by the West.
In addition to the "Leopard 2" tank, the American-made "Abrams" tank, the "Bradley" infantry fighting vehicle, and the British "Challenger 2" tank have all been killed, so much so that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu specially set up a "Patriot Park" in Moscow to display Ukrainian equipment captured on the front line.
The Russian army towed the German Leopard 2 tank back to Moscow, where it was put on public display in the park
Now, the park has a new collection, a Leopard 2A6 tank captured by the Russian army last month. Judging by the video released by the Russian side, the appearance of this tank is relatively intact, but there are no tracks. According to informed sources, in order to tow back this tank, the front-line troops had to blow up the tracks, and another one could not be towed back, so it had to be destroyed on the spot. According to the plan, the Russian Ministry of Defense will "deploy" it to the park this summer after a certain degree of maintenance.
The Russian army's seizure of Ukrainian military equipment is not news for a long time, just last month, the Russian army also broadcast live unboxing British "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles, which shocked the United States and the West into a cold sweat. And this is also the real reason why NATO has not sent F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine until now.
NATO countries have not yet agreed on the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
At present, these ground equipment that have been seized are not very high-tech, and what flies in the sky is really advanced, and there are many technologies unique to the United States, if the F-16 is sent to Ukraine, it will also be captured by the Russian army, and it will be thoroughly studied, not to mention that the Russian army can be used for its own research and development work, and when Putin "selflessly imparts" it to Iran, the United States will be even more unacceptable.
Returning to the "Leopard 2" tank, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, based on the experience of destroying more than 20 "Leopard 2" tanks, the Russian army has summed up the weak links of this tank, and uses the "Lancet" cruise missile to attack the connection between the turret and the body, and always achieves the greatest results. Of course, Germany's most advanced main battle tank, not the A6, but the A7, which Germany uses itself and will not be sent to Ukraine. It is estimated that in the future, the German Ministry of Defense will also summarize the experience of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield and strengthen the A7 tank in a targeted manner.
German-made Leopard 2A7 tank
Up to now, there have been more than 870 kinds of captured Ukrainian military equipment in the "Patriot Park" in Moscow, but I don't know if there will be Russian people climbing into the cockpit after the "Leopard 2" tank is on display, and then ask: How to go to Moscow.