• German-made Leopard tanks have been spotted near Bakhmut.
• Gagin went on to downplay the tanks’ presence near the frontlines.
• European officials previously stated that the first donated Leopard 2 tanks had begun to arrive in Ukraine.

German-made Leopard tanks have been spotted near Bakhmut, according to an advisor to the head of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic.

“There have been claims that Leopards have appeared near Artemovsk (the Russian name for Bakhmut),” Yan Gagin told state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday.

Gagin went on to downplay the tanks’ presence near the frontlines.

“There is no need to sensationalize this. Given the muddy weather now, it will make it difficult for heavy vehicles like the Leopard to move,” he said. “[It] is the same armored target as all the others.”

European officials previously stated that the first donated Leopard 2 tanks had begun to arrive in Ukraine.

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