Scouts of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed a Leopard tank transferred to Ukraine with an entirely German crew consisting of military personnel of the German Armed Forces, a commander of a reconnaissance group operating in the Zaporozhye direction told Sputnik.
"The mechanic of the tank was seriously wounded, and the rest were killed. [...] When he woke up and saw us, he began shouting 'nicht schießen' [no shooting]," the group commander said, adding: "He said several times that he was not a mercenary, but a soldier of the Bundeswehr."
According to the commander, while the German soldier was receiving first aid, he named his brigade and its location. However, he added, as the mechanic had lost a lot of blood and had been badly injured, he died before the group started his transportation.
"I was a little surprised, of course, but [...] it doesn't matter which crew is in the Leopard – Ukrainian fighters or German soldiers – the result will be the same: German tanks will burn, and American tanks will burn as well," the commander said.
The commander of the reconnaissance group appealed to Western instructors to "think twice" before fighting the Russians.
This February, Germany officially announced the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, eight of which were hit by the Russian Armed Forces in June at the start of Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Earlier, Russia warned NATO countries against further arms deliveries to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that NATO countries are "playing with fire" by supplying weapons to the Kiev regime.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect on the situation in general.