Up to ten foreign specialists operating HIMARS were also eliminated, the Defense Ministry has said
The Russian military has destroyed three US-supplied Ukrainian High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) along with some of the foreign military personnel helping Kiev operate the missile arrays, Moscow has said.
On Monday, the Defense Ministry stated that the systems were eliminated through the combined actions of Russian warplanes, drones, artillery and missile forces. It added that the strike also killed “up to 10 foreign specialists servicing those systems.”
Officials, however, would not say where the HIMARS – which have a range of fire of about 80km – were destroyed, nor would they provide details regarding the nationality of the foreign personnel.
However, several Russian Telegram channels released a video of the purported strike, claiming it had taken in Russia’s Kherson Region at night. The black-and-white clip shows what looks like aerial footage of three HIMARS arrays maneuvering on the road before being hit by a single powerful missile strike, causing fire and smoke to rise into the air.
Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed another HIMARS in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region. The attacks came after the US stated in May that it was allowing Kiev to use American-made weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, with Ukrainian officials confirming that the missiles were used to bombard Russian logistics hubs and artillery positions across the border.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of using Western-made weapons, particularly US-supplied HIMARS and long-range ATAMCS missiles to attack civilians. In this vein, Moscow slammed Washington over weapons deliveries, arguing that in doing so, the US “is encouraging Kiev terrorists to commit new crimes.”
Russia has also said it is well aware of the presence of foreign military personnel in Ukraine, noting that they are regarded as “legitimate targets” for Moscow’s forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late May that those foreign servicemen were suffering casualties.
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