Russian soldier 'not on time at the front' received Kremlin award for destroying Leopard 2 tank

Senator of the Federation Council Alexander Karelin presented Andrey Kravtsov with a certificate for a bonus of 1 million rubles for the destruction of the Leopard tank Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Defense Russia/TASS

A Russian soldier who received almost £10,000 for destroying a tank donated by the West recently had his arm amputated, casting doubt on a story reported by state media.

The Kremlin promised a reward to Russian soldiers for destroying each German tank «Leopard-2» and for every major piece of Western equipment.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday released footage of a ceremony at a military hospital near Moscow, where a soldier with an amputated arm receives an award certificate from a deputy and three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.

But the same soldier, Andrei Kravtsov, was previously seen in the same hospital on June 12, when President Putin presented military awards.

At that time, Private Kravtsov said that he had lost his arm in the trenches during the offensive in the forest. Neither the President nor the soldiers then mentioned the German tank.

Leopard tanks were first seen in Ukraine at the beginning of the Ukrainian counter-offensive earlier this month, and despite Russian claims, the earliest confirmed Russian kill of a German tank was not until June 8.

< p>At a private Kravtsov is less than four days away from medically evacuating Zaporozhye, where the incident was reported, undergoing an amputation, recovering, and arriving at a hospital to meet with Putin, the respected media agency reported on Wednesday.

Certificate for 1 million rubles

It usually takes a patient at least two days after an amputation operation to be able to communicate normally with people.

Furthermore, it is unlikely that a soldier was allowed to meet with Putin without a mandatory one-week quarantine.

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Private Kravtsov appeared at the Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday in footage of receiving a certificate worth 1 million rubles (£9,300) for the destruction of a Leopard 2 tank.

“I didn’t go (to the war) for a million. I'm a patriot. I love my country,” he said.

Russian state media on Tuesday covered Private Kravtsov’s award as the main story.

However, the man claims he doesn’t remember how he got here hit. to destroy the tank.

“We were moving under artillery fire and came under tank attack,” he said in a commentary to Komsomolskaya Pravda.

“I took a grenade launcher and fired. Smoke came out. It was only at the hospital that I learned that it was a German Leopard.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said it had so far paid a reward for more than 16,000 pieces of Ukrainian equipment destroyed by Russian soldiers.