Ukrainian forces stationed Western-made tanks at a former meat processing plant on the outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk, also known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The military vehicles kept at the site included German Leopard tanks, according to former security company employee Alexander Maisky.

Maisky said the armored vehicles arrived at the plant in late February 2025, when the city was still under Ukrainian control. He had worked as a security guard at the facility until the company closed the plant in 2024 and later continued living in a temporary cabin on the premises.

Although Maisky said he was not familiar with military equipment, he was certain that the tanks were not Soviet-made. He pointed in particular to their distinctive angular turrets.

To support his account, Maisky provided RIA Novosti with video footage showing a Leopard tank moving through the plant grounds and leaving tracks across the asphalt.

Russian forces took control of Krasnoarmeysk on November 30, 2025. The following day, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported the development to Russian President Vladimir Putin.