Four U.S.-made Ukrainian HIMARS Launchers Destroyed from July 5: Russia Claims

The Russian military has managed to destroy four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from July 5-20, defense ministry has claimed.

At a regular press briefing Friday, spokesman for the ministry, Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces blew up four launchers and one transport-loading vehicle of the American HIMARS MLRS.

“Of these, two launchers were eliminated near the settlement of Malotaranovka, another HIMARS and a transport-loading vehicle - in the Krasnoarmeysk region, and a fourth launcher - on the eastern outskirts of Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic,” he said.

DefenseMirror was unable to verify Russian claims at the time of publishing of this article.

Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu recently instructed the country’s Armed Forces to prioritize strikes on Ukraine’s long-range weapons which includes the HIMARS. Moscow claims Kyiv uses these weapons to target residential areas in eastern Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatist republics and “deliberately” set fire to wheat fields and grain storage facilities.

Also read: Amidst Reports that HIMARS Are Finding Targets, Russia Orders Attacks on Ukraine’s Long-Range Weapons

The Pentagon announced a fresh military aid package to Kyiv July 20 that includes four additional HIMARS systems, taking the total of such systems meant for Ukraine to 16.

While announcing the package, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said “Ukrainian forces are now using long-range rocket systems to great effect, including HIMARS provided by the United States and other systems from our allies and partners…. I think that everyone here understands the difference that they've (HIMARS) made on the ground.”

M142 HIMARS allows for the launching of multiple, precision-guided rockets. Its GPS-guided missiles have a range far more advanced than Ukraine’s existing artillery capabilities. At roughly 80km, it generally puts HIMARS MLRS out of range of Russia’s own artillery, while placing the Russian batteries at risk.