Ukraine fights with British tanks on Russian soil for first time

UK military source Challenger 2 tanks used as Kyiv presses on with incursion in Kursk region

British Challenger 2 tanks have been used in Ukraine’s daring cross-border raid into Russia, it emerged on Thursday.
A UK military source confirmed to The Telegraph that the tanks had been deployed on Russian soil for the first time as Kyiv pressed on with its incursion in the Kursk region.
Moscow’s defence ministry shared footage of a Challenger 2 racing through the Russian countryside. The unverified video appeared to show a Russian kamikaze drone striking the tank near the Ukrainian-occupied town of Sudzha. 
Western analysts questioned the heavily-edited footage and said it was unlikely that the tank had been destroyed, as claimed by Russian sources.
Britain sent Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 tanks last year – the first donation of Nato-standard main battle tanks. Kyiv has used them sparingly during offensive operations.
Last September, a Challenger 2 was destroyed by enemy fire in southern Ukraine when Ukrainian forces were bogged down by Moscow’s defences.
The Ministry of Defence has never placed restrictions on the use of conventional British weapons on Russian soil, as long as they are used against targets in accordance with international law. However, Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been restricted to targets on Ukraine’s sovereign soil and the occupied peninsula of Crimea.
Classified US intelligence documents leaked shortly after their delivery to Ukraine said the Challengers were assigned to Kyiv’s 82nd brigade. Elements of the brigade were part of the initial thrust into Russia, made up of four elite brigades trained and equipped by Nato.
A now-deleted photograph shared by the 82nd Air Assault Brigade, elements of which are fighting on Russian soil, showed the British-donated tank in the background.
Ukraine has captured more than 1,000 square kilometres of the Kursk region since its forces launched the surprise cross-border raid into the region early last week.
Kyiv’s has made use of US-supplied Stryker armoured fighting vehicles, German-made Marder tanks, mine-clearing machines and tank transporters, and at least one French armoured personnel carrier.
Washington also granted Ukrainian forces permission to use its Himars rocket launchers, which killed hundreds of Russian troops in a reinforcement convoy en route to the main area of fighting in Kursk.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British tank commander, said the introduction of the Challenger 2 was likely to be a sign that Kyiv was attempting to “reinforce success”. He added: “It’s a ‘mark’ piece of kit and has a psychological hold over the Russians.
“The demonstration of combined arms manoeuvre is the first time in this war and very impressive. It must have taken months of training in secret, which is amazing on this ‘transparent’ battlefield.”