Destroy German Tanks: These Russian Soldiers Receive Awards, 1 Million Rubles And Photos With President Putin

Soldier Andrey Kravtsov (left front wheelchair) with President Putin and other Russian soldiers who received the award. (Source: Vladimir Astapkovich/POOL/TASS)

JAKARTA - A Russian soldier who was injured on the Ukrainian battlefield, received awards and money after successfully destroying one of the enemy's main weapons sent by the West.

Soldier Andrey Kravtsov, who served as assistant to the grenade launcher operator, was rewarded with a prize of 1 million Russian rubles by one of the private foundations, after successfully destroying Ukraine's Leopard tank sent by Germany, the Russian Defense Ministry said last Tuesday.

In a video publication by the ministry, Kravtsov, who was still wearing a patient's uniform and sitting on a hospital bed, received an award certificate from Senator Alexander Karelin.

The ministry did not say when and where Kravtsov destroyed the tank or why he was hospitalized. However, he seemed to have lost his right hand.

"This is a tremendous additional payment for those who caused significant damage to the enemy, above what the state is doing," Karelin told Kravtsov.

The bonus was paid from funds set up by a group of private entrepreneurs, showing their loyalty to the Kremlin's military campaign in Ukraine.

Citing TASS, the award was handed over at the Badminton National Medical Research Center. Previously, soldiers who were considered certain meritors, received and from the Ministry of Defense.

"I believe that once we take the oath of the Russian Federation, we must not sit still," said Kravtsov, who was seriously injured in the fighting.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Kravtsov and other wounded soldiers atTENghsky Central Military Clinical Hospital, giving them awards after the ceremony to award the Russian National Day Commemoration at St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

"In the eyes of normal people, you are all heroes. Just like other people who fought on the front lines in special military operations zones. Artillery fire, tanks and armored vehicles - everything is real. It all happened 'in real life'," he said in a conversation with the soldiers.

On the occasion, President Putin handed over the 'Star of Hero' and 'The Order of Courage' awards, saying he regretted not being able to gather all the troops involved in the war in Ukraine, but mentioning them all heroes.

It is known that the 'Star of Hero' award was given to Senior Lieutenant Yuri Zhulanov.

Meanwhile, the 'The Order of Courage' was given to Kravtsov, Lieutenant Anatoly Zuyev (a platoon of fire-prone commanders), Soldier Andrey Krovtsov (assistant grenade launcher operator), Corporal Balgan Banzaraktsayev (coopral mechanical infantry company), Soldier Andrey Batuyev, (radio phone operator), Soldier Yuri Krasnoyarov (team leader), Soldier Nikolai Lychko (team chemical specialist), Senior Sergeant Sergey Patanov (medical team commander), Soldier Dmitry PIlikhovsky (machine gun shooter shooter), and Rear Sergeant Kiril Tatarenko (team commander).