A Leopard 2 tank was heavily damaged during military exercises in Poland. The incident occurred at the Leopard Training Center in the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade in Świętoszów, southwestern Poland, during the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
A photo of the accident, which shows the tank with a torn turret, was widely shared on social media and caught the attention of many internet users. According to the Clash Report on Twitter, the damage was caused by an accident during the training exercise.
Retired U.S. soldier Mark Hertling, with nearly half a million Twitter followers, suggested that the cause of the damage may have been crew error, rather than a malfunction of the tank.
“I have seen various turret impacts, but I have never seen one completely torn off,” he wrote while assessing the damage.
Polish military news outlet, Defense24.pl, contacted the spokesman for the general command of the Polish Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Marek Pawlak, who reported that the incident occurred on April 14. At that time, two tanks collided, but no one was harmed as a result of the incident. The tank is currently in a repair hall, where it will be inspected and the consequences of the incident evaluated. It will then most likely be fixed and restored to service.
However, Defence24.pl emphasized that these photos should never have been published on the internet, as they can be used in Russia’s information warfare and negatively affect Polish-Ukrainian relations.
At the end of February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius claimed that the Leopard 2 tanks Poland sent to Ukraine were in a deplorable technical condition. In doing so, he pushed the idea that Berlin is one of the most involved countries in helping Kyiv, pointing out that Germany is providing Ukraine with a newer version of the Leopard tanks.
In January, as a result of Polish pressure, Germany agreed to transfer a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from the Bundeswehr’s reserves to Ukraine.
