00:00 A leopard prepares for the hunt.
00:09 The tanks were expected to be decisive for Ukraine's counter-offensive, which has been
00:14 going on around the clock for more than three months now.
00:23 A leopard is a predator.
00:24 Since we work at night, it's a nocturnal predator.
00:29 Artem is the tank's driver and mechanic.
00:32 Mobilized a year ago, he began his war in a Soviet-era tank.
00:37 The leopard, he says, has many advantages.
00:42 The tank is fast.
00:44 I know that in extreme situations I can get the job done quickly.
00:50 If you need to rapidly approach or leave in a hurry, you have a speed advantage in this
00:55 tank compared to the Soviet ones.
00:59 If we're fired upon or we are informed about a possible attack, we can move quickly in
01:05 the tank.
01:08 This is a big advantage and it increases safety.
01:17 They're not only fast, reaching speeds of more than 70 kilometers per hour.
01:22 The leopards are kitted out with night-vision devices and optics far superior to those of
01:28 the enemy.
01:30 Commander Igor tells us his company's leopards have destroyed far more enemy tanks than they
01:35 could with what they had before.
01:38 But the Russians have adapted.
01:41 In the beginning of the offensive, the Russians responded with their tanks.
01:46 They stopped that after the leopards destroyed almost all of them.
01:50 They couldn't offer much resistance with their heavy equipment.
01:52 They're afraid of the leopards.
01:55 Now the Russians fight the leopards in other ways.
02:01 Now they use drones.
02:02 The Russian Defense Ministry claims this footage from earlier this summer shows an attack on
02:07 a Ukrainian tank with a Lancet drone.
02:11 The Ukrainians say the leopards here have proven themselves on the battlefields.
02:15 They're faster, they can shoot at greater distances, and they're much safer than the
02:19 Soviet-made tanks the crews had up until now.
02:22 But they also seem to create problems, especially when it comes to maintenance and repairs.
02:28 Artem and his team are able to do some maintenance on site.
02:32 He says they often need to work on the tracks.
02:36 Most often we have to replace the rubber because it wears out very quickly.
02:41 Rollers also have to be replaced frequently and new ones ordered.
02:45 The undercarriage is what needs to be replaced most often.
02:50 Maintenance is one thing.
02:52 Repairing damage is a bigger issue.
02:54 The leopard has lighter armor than the Soviet battle tanks.
02:58 The vast minefields laid by the Russians are slowing the counter-offensive.
03:02 These men have experienced it first-hand.
03:07 In one tank we were blown up by a mine and our crew suffered concussions.
03:15 But we were treated in a hospital and we had that tank repaired.
03:22 More serious damage has to be dealt with in facilities outside of Ukraine, and this can
03:27 take the tank out of action for months.
03:30 The counter-offensive is tough for the men of the 47th Brigade and their tanks, even
03:35 the leopards.
03:37 Today they can rest and refuel.
03:40 Soon they'll be back in the operation zone, spending nights hunting the enemy.
03:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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