Russian soldier rewarded for destroying Leopard tank

A Russian soldier who destroyed a German-made Leopard tank in a battle in Ukraine has been given a reward of million roubles ($11,842) by a private foundation, Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.

It published a video showing the soldier, Andrei Kravtsov, sitting on a hospital bed and receiving a reward certificate from Alexander Karelin, a three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.

The ministry did not say when and where Kravtsov destroyed the tank or what he was being treated for in hospital. In the video, he appeared to be missing his right hand.

Russia says its forces destroyed German-made Leopards and US-supplied Bradley fighting vehicles after Ukraine launched a counteroffensive this month. Reuters could not independently verify numbers involved.

The defence ministry said last week it paid bonuses to more than 10,000 Russian servicemen since the start of the Ukraine war — something Moscow calls a “special military operation” — for destroying or capturing Ukrainian or Western-supplied hardware. It said the rate was 100,000 roubles for a tank and 300,000 roubles for a plane.

Handing over the certificate for the bonus, Karelin told Kravtsov: “These are wonderful additional payments for those who cause significant damage to the enemy, on top of what the state is doing.”

The bonus was paid from a fund established by a private group of entrepreneurs, an example of how some Russian businesses are seeking ways to display their loyalty to the Kremlin’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Reuters