Earlier this year, the Kremlin began to offer bounties to its soldiers for successfully engaging and destroying Western-made military platforms – notably main battle tanks.

A Russian anti-tank solider was recently awarded 700,000 rubles for destroying the first Leopard 1A5 main battle tank (MBT) in the course of the "special military operation" in the Kupyansk area, the Russian defense ministry told state media outlet Tass.

"The commander of the Battlegroup West has again lauded the successful actions of an anti-tank system crew of the 1st tank army, who destroyed a Leopard 1A5 tank," the ministry quoted Vladimir Lugovoy, deputy commander of the Western Military District.

According to Lugovoy, the German-supplied Cold War-era tank was trying to break through the defenses of Russian forces, but it had reportedly broken down. The soldiers who hit the tank were awarded a certificate for the 700,000 rubles and further received the Orders of Courage along with other state awards.

It should be noted that 700,000 rubles is a bit less money than one might expect – equating to just around $7,890! And that will have to be split multiple ways.

What Destroyed the Leopard 1A5?

Video footage, recorded by a Russian drone, has circulated across social media that showed the destruction of the 40-ton Leopard 1 that was reportedly operated by the Ukrainian Army's 44th Mechanized Brigade. The vehicle was moving across an open field when it either took a hit from a shell or mine.

It was only after it was disabled that additional shells rained down.

In the video, the tank was seen with its hatches wide open, which could suggest that the crew had successfully escaped before it came under further attack.

It has been questioned why the Leopard 1, which is noted for its relatively thin armor, was moving across a field in the daytime. It is fitted with optics and a main gun that had hit targets from a distance greater than two miles, and it likely shouldn't been on the move at the time. The crew must have wrongly assumed that their movements weren't being monitored. The drone that recorded the incident clearly proved otherwise!

Though Kyiv's forces have lost a Leopard MBT, more are on the way.

In August, it was announced that more than four dozen of the German-made tanks that once belonged to Belgium were being refurbished and sent to Ukraine. The tanks had been purchased by a private company and were subsequently resold to another nation (which hasn't been disclosed) and then donated to Kyiv.

The Kampfpanzer Leopard 1 MBT was designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, entering service in 1965. Production ended in 1984 when it was replaced with the Leopard 2.

Though an older platform, it has been suggested that the Leopard 1 could be used in a similar role as the T-64, serving in a vanguard to clear the mines and allow the more capable Leopard 2 and British-made Challenger MBTs to break through Russian positions.

However, it would need to avoid enemy artillery!

Past Bounty Paid More

What is also notable about the recent "bonus" is that it was significantly less than was what paid out for the first destroyed Leopard 2 MBT.

In June, a Russian soldier was given one million rubles by a private foundation for destroying the first German-made Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) in Ukraine. That bonus was apparently paid for from a fund that had been established by a group of private entrepreneurs, likely in an apparent move to show their unwavering loyalty to the Kremlin.

According to a report from Reuters at the time, Andrei Kravtsov, who was wounded in the recent fighting, was credited with destroying the Leopard 2.

"1-million-ruble reward was handed in to Russian serviceman Andrey Kravtsov at the Vishnevsky National Medical Research Center for destroying a Leopard tank in battle. The reward was instituted by the Siberian Care entrepreneurial fund," the ministry said in a statement, according to Tass.

Kravtsov, who had lost his right hand in combat, received his reward certificate while recovering in the hospital. Three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Alexander Karelin presented the award, and he told the Russian soldier, "These are wonderful additional payments for those who cause significant damage to the enemy, on top of what the state is doing."

Bonuses Keep Coming in the Ukraine War

The reward to Kravtsov was in addition to the individual bonuses that the Russian Ministry of Defense has been paying to thousands of its soldiers since the start of the war in February 2022. Those who could destroy a tank have been promised 100,000 rubles, while an airplane could earn pilots and air defense crews up to 300,000 rubles.

The ministry has said that to date more than 10,000 servicemen have received rewards for destroying some 16,000 items of Ukrainian and Western military equipment.

Author Experience and Expertise

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.