Russian news agency RIA Novosti is claiming that four German soldiers were killed in Ukraine when the Russian military destroyed a German Leopard tank last weekend. The article says that an unidentified Russian Army officer spoke with a dying tank crewman who confessed that the entire tank crew were members of the German Bundeswehr (German army). The claims have yet to be verified and the German Defense Ministry has denied the claims saying, “There are no German tank crews in Ukraine.” Germany has supplied Ukraine with tanks like the Leopard and other hardware, and has even provided training for Ukrainian soldiers but have not provided manpower for those vehicles. There have been reports of German mercenaries fighting for both Ukraine and Russia. One German journalist suggested that either Russia is staging a false flag operation or perhaps the crew were mercenaries lying to receive protection under the Geneva Convention if taken prisoner.
