To brace for the introduction of advanced NATO-supplied tanks on Ukraine’s battlefields, Russian forces are preparing to pay a bonus to troops who manage to damage or destroy one, according to recently leaked U.S. intelligence documents.
The monetary incentive is part of a larger tranche of initiatives structured to help Russian formations and boost morale as they struggle to seize territory in Ukraine’s east, the documents say.
“Financial incentives would be offered for the capture and destruction of foreign tanks, and videos of tanks being destroyed would be widely distributed to reduce the confidence of Ukraine and the West and reassure Russian troops of their ability to overcome this new weaponry,” according to the document, which was labeled top secret.
The Russian strategy to deal with the new tanks was tucked away in a trove of U.S. intelligence documents that were leaked online in video game chat rooms before making their way to other social media sites in recent days. U.S. officials have said the documents are legitimate, though at least one of the dozens of pages of classified reports had been altered.
Though intelligence gathering is difficult and the reports it yields are sometimes wrong, the documents have given the clearest look yet at the internal workings of both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries since the war began last year. Both sides are struggling with casualties and setbacks, the documents say.
The New York Times first reported the leak on Thursday.
Britain, Germany, Poland and the United States have pledged to send dozens of their militaries’ main battle tanks before an expected Ukrainian spring offensive against Russian forces in occupied Ukraine. The new tanks are supposed to outclass their Soviet-era counterparts, which both Ukraine and Russian forces have been using.
But sound defensive and offensive strategies, including the use of small portable anti-tank guided missiles and anti-tank mines, have often managed to mitigate the presence of tanks on the battlefield, as seen in earlier phases of the war and other conflicts in the Middle East.
The Russian strategy to destroy the tanks, according to the documents, calls for “establishing three fire zones based on range.”
“At the same time, personnel training efforts would be administered to educate on the vulnerabilities of NATO tanks.”
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have used tanks as mobile artillery and to support infantry attacks on enemy trenches. The new NATO tanks would be important in both roles if Ukraine hopes to retake Russian-captured territory in the coming months.
The Kremlin has a record of creativity in how it rewards achievements considered important to the state. Olympic gold medalists sometimes receive cars or apartments. The main suspect behind the poisoning of a Russian intelligence turncoat in London in the 2000s was given a seat in Russia’s Parliament.
Michael Schwirtz contributed reporting.
