Russian Soldier Who Destroyed Germany's Main Battle Tank Receives 15 Million Won Reward Certificate

Destruction of German-made Leopard 2 Tank Recognized
Famous Russian Politician Personally Presents Certificate

A Russian soldier who destroyed a German-made Leopard 2 tank on the Ukrainian front reportedly received a reward of about 15 million won.

On the 20th (local time), according to Russian TASS news agency and others, the Russian Ministry of Defense awarded Andrey Kravtsov a certificate of commendation worth 1 million rubles (about 15.25 million won) for his merit in destroying a Leopard 2 during combat.

Kravtsov was severely wounded in the battle and is currently hospitalized receiving treatment. The certificate of commendation was personally delivered to him at the hospital by Alexander Karelin, a Russian politician and famous wrestler. The Russian Ministry of Defense also released a video of this scene on social media platforms.

Russian soldier Andrey Kravtsov awarded a bounty for destroying a German-made Leopard tank in the Ukraine war [Image source=Zvezda News Telegram]

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not disclose specific details such as when and where Kravtsov destroyed the tank or the nature of his injuries requiring treatment.

Kravtsov expressed his loyalty, saying, "Once we have sworn allegiance to the Russian Federation, I believe we must not remain idle," according to media reports. It is also known that he expressed his desire to return to the military after receiving treatment.

The Ministry of Defense stated that since the start of the war, it has paid personal rewards to 10,000 of its soldiers. The government-set reward amounts are 100,000 rubles (about 1.52 million won) per tank destroyed and 300,000 rubles (about 4.58 million won) per aircraft destroyed.

German-made main battle tank Leopard 2 supplied to Ukraine
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The reward Kravtsov received reportedly came from a fund established by a private company, not from the Ministry of Defense budget.

In fact, the Russian energy-related company "Pores" set up its own compensation fund in February, promising to pay 5 million rubles (about 76.85 million won) in cash to Russian troops who capture or destroy U.S.-made M1 Abrams or German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

Regarding this, the Russian Ministry of Defense told the media, "It is a way to encourage soldiers to demonstrate loyalty to the Kremlin’s military operation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.