MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Servicemen of Russia’s battlegroup West who destroyed Leopard-2 tanks were presented with cash certificates, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"In the headquarters of the Moscow military district, a ceremony was held to award valuable gifts and at six cash certificates for the destroyed Leopard-2 tanks to servicemen performing combat missions as part of the western battlegroup in the Kupyansk direction of the special military operation. Certificates worth 500,000 rubles (almost $5,358) were handed over to the servicemen of the artillery unit and two servicemen of the special-purpose units of the military district," the statement said.

According to the accounts of the artillerymen published by the ministry, the tank was destroyed from the first shot, from a distance of more than 15 kilometers.

The ministry pointed out that immediately after the award ceremony, the servicemen returned to their units to continue performing their assigned tasks in the special military operation zone.