The Russians captured two Leopard 2 A6s in Avdeevka – the Ukrainians are taking the rest to Kupyansk

Russian troops have made significant advances on the northern outskirts of Avdeevka, where they have occupied a large city park and are now attacking the coke plant from the west.

Russian sources report that during the Ukrainian retreat, two German-designed Leopard 2 A6 tanks were captured by the Russians and abandoned by the Ukrainian 47th Brigade. Their abandonment was also confirmed by the Ukrainians.

Strange things are happening with Leopard 2 A6 tanks, because Ukraine received only 21 units of this type: 18 from Germany and 3 from Portugal. This is not so much, and a Ukrainian tank division (battalion) usually has 31 tanks.

With only 21 tanks, the Ukrainian army could equip a maximum of two companies with tanks of this model. Therefore, it is logical that the Ukrainians initially equipped only one unit with the Leopard 2A6 – the 47th Armored Brigade. But now, as reported by American Forbes, it seems that these tanks are also used in the second brigade, and this may mean that either the German tanks were distributed among different units, or they were delivered more than was stated in official reports

More and more photos and videos show Leopard 2A6s in the 21st Armored Brigade, which also uses 10 Strv 122 – Swedish Leopard 2A5s donated to Kyiv by Stockholm.

📷Leopard 2A6 tanks alongside Strv 122 tanks of Ukrainian 21st Mechanized Brigade in the direction of Kreminna. #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/djvGGRFENQ

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) December 27, 2023

Leopard 2A6 tanks next to Strv 122 tanks of the 21st Ukrainian mechanized brigade in the direction of Kremennaya.

It is reported that the 47th brigade is fighting in the most dangerous sector of the front, around Avdeevka. For 10 weeks, Russian regiments and brigades have been trying to dislodge the Ukrainian garrison from this city. But the garrison, reinforced by the 47th Brigade’s Leopard 2A6s and TMA M-2 Bradleys, put up fierce resistance. Moreover, on some days the 47th Brigade even managed to counterattack north of the city.

There are 40,000 Russian troops in the Avdeevka area. The Ukrainian garrison needs all the battle tanks available, at the moment the 47th Brigade has lost more than 4 and presumably 21 of its Leopard 2A6s, and sent even more to Lithuania for repairs.

THREAD
Aggiunto che proprio nei giorni scorsi sono emerse immagini di 2 Leopard 2A6 abbandonati e proprio nella zona di #Avdiivka (speriamo che ci sia la possibilità di recuperarli, altrimenti… !), tra le righe di questo articolo riemerge la…
1/https://t.co/1swx8W6n8W

— Giovanni Martinelli (@giovamartinelli) December 30, 2023

Let us add that literally in the last few days photographs of 2 abandoned Leopard 2A6s have appeared.

It is unclear how many Leopard 2A6s the 47th Brigade has transferred to the 21st Brigade, which is defending a sector in the Kreminsky forest, 50 miles north of Avdiivka. Did the 47th Brigade receive more? Where were they not announced? And by whom?

The oldest Leopard 2A4s are living out their days in the 33rd Armored Brigade, and in 2024 Ukraine should receive 14 more vehicles from Germany. But no one has committed to increasing the number of Strv 122 or Leopard 2A5 or A6. 31 of these tanks, which Ukraine received earlier this year, may be the only ones it ever receives. So it is likely that the Ukrainians consider Avdiivka a lost cause and are looking for ways to preserve their best tanks for the Kharkov sector. As for Avdiivka, after the capture of Marinka it no longer has a chance to remain in the hands of the Ukrainians.

#Ukraine #Avdiivka #Russia RussArmee beginnt Vormarsch in NordAvdiivka im Bereich der ehemaligen GartenDatschenAnlagen westlich der UkraNATOFestung in der alten Kokerei (DonbassToday). Ziel klar: Südspitze der Festung attakieren. pic.twitter.com/PIvGSEFurI

— YOURMEDIA AGENCY (@YourmediaAgency) December 29, 2023

The Russian Army begins an offensive in North Avdievka in the area of ​​former gardening and dacha farms west of the Ukrainian NATO fortress on the territory of an old coke plant (DonbassToday). Clear objective: attack the southern end of the fortress.

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