MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian armed forces Commander Valery Zaluzhny acknowledged the loss of German-made Leopard tanks during hostilities, calling them just another target on the battlefield.

Speaking in an interview for The Washington Post, Zaluzhny said that several Leopard tanks in service with the Ukrainian forces have already been destroyed by Russian forces, without saying exactly how many tanks were lost.

"We didn’t get Leopards to ride in parades or have politicians or celebrities take pictures with them," the official said. "They came here for the war. And a Leopard on the battlefield is not a Leopard but a target."

Ukrainian forces have been using the Leopards in the counteroffensive, which started on June 4. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly reported on the destruction of this type of tank on the battlefield. On June 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, since the beginning of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have lost 259 tanks and 780 armored vehicles.