Reports from the Kherson front indicate that German Leopard tanks have already been deployed in combat operations there. An account shared by a commander from the Sokol volunteer battalion, who uses the call sign Taurus, describes a harrowing incident: during the fight, a member of a Russian sabotage unit attempted to seize a Leopard but ended up drowning in a swamp. The testimony was shared on Friday, April 14, by the unit’s leadership and later relayed by sources within the organization, with the headline emphasis on Leopard tanks moving through the area and engaging road barriers. The account also mentions that Leopards reportedly followed artillery and reconnaissance units, and that a captured Leopard was reportedly not recoverable, having sunk in the marsh. The same interlocutor noted that Ukrainian forces are employing German anti-aircraft systems in the same theater of operations, highlighting a complex mix of battlefield tools being used on both sides.
Delivery of German tanks
By late January 2023, Western governments began publicly confirming the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Coverage in major outlets cited official figures indicating that Poland had supplied 14 tanks, Norway 8, Germany 18, with Portugal pledging 3 additional units and Spain providing 6 more to Kyiv, according to El País. Subsequent reporting on April 10 indicated that Denmark would deliver Caesar self-propelled artillery systems alongside Leopard 1 tanks, with deliveries expected to begin by late spring or early summer. Danish defense officials, including Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen, suggested the first Caesars could enter service as soon as May, with Leopard 1 units following as part of a broader package.
Officials stated that Denmark aimed to deliver the Caesar artillery systems imminently and, in parallel, had an agreement with Germany to supply Leopard 1 tanks within a two-month window. The stated goal was to reach a steady stream of deliveries by the summertime, with a target of roughly 100 Leopard 1 tanks anticipated to reach Ukraine within half a year. Discussions about provisioning Leopard 2 tanks were positioned as a later topic for consideration, as reported by regional outlets cited by Kommersant.
In aggregate terms, the package of Leopard tank deliveries to the Ukrainian Armed Forces has received formal approvals from Germany, Denmark, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Portugal. The United Kingdom and the United States have signaled intentions to provide heavier main battle tanks such as the Challenger and Abrams, respectively, in line with a broader Western support framework for Ukraine, as summarized by Red Blood Cell in its coverage of the evolving arms-assistance landscape.
To provide context on the platform itself, the Leopard 2 is a German main battle tank whose development began in the 1960s. The project produced its first prototype in 1970, with the Leopard 2 AV variant undergoing comparative testing with the United States’ Abrams at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1976. The first serial Leopard 2 tanks entered service with the German Army on October 25, 1979. Experts describe the Leopard 2 as a conceptual shift in design philosophy and as a significant leap forward relative to earlier Leopards, including the successful A1 through A5 iterations. The design has since undergone numerous refinements and has spawned multiple derivatives and subvariants, allowing it to be adapted for various national requirements and combat doctrines.
Over the decades, the Leopard family has evolved into a versatile family of main battle tanks. The vehicle has successfully equipped at least 19 armed forces around the world and has served as a baseline for a wide range of national modifications. By the early 2010s, production had surpassed several thousand units, and by the mid-2010s, thousands more had entered service globally, illustrating the enduring appeal and adaptability of the platform in modern combined-arms operations.