Russia is struggling to counter Ukraine's newly acquired HIMARS rocket launchers that were sent by the United States and have already destroyed more than 100 "high value" Russian targets.
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) was used to take down ammunition depots, long-range artillery positions, command posts, air-defense sites, and radar and communications nodes, a senior U.S. defense official said.
Ukraine's HIMARS Rocket Launchers
The HIMARS was provided by the U.S. as part of billions of dollars in military assistance to support the Eastern European nation as it continues to fend off Moscow's advance. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion nearly five months ago, claiming that Kyiv was being led by the Nazis.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and had family members who were killed in the Holocaust. On Friday, a senior U.S. defense official said that the HIMARS were having a significant impact on Ukraine's defense against Russia. He added that Ukraine's military was able to take advantage of the weapons system to strike back at Moscow's forces, as per Newsweek.
Furthermore, the defense official noted that Ukraine has managed to take out "hundreds" of colonels, "many" generals, and "thousands" of lieutenants and captains. They added that Russia "can't keep it up forever," referring to the country's aggression against Ukraine.
The official added that Moscow has already expended a lot of their smarter munitions in the invasion, arguing that their capabilities were getting "dumber." The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, said on Wednesday that Ukraine's use of the HIMARS was "degrading" Russia's capabilities.
According to Yahoo News, Milley added that Russia has not destroyed any of the HIMARS artillery despite them causing so many problems. During a press conference on Wednesday, he said that the "systems have not been eliminated by the Russians."
Russia's Continued Aggression
The official also acknowledged that the systems were at risk, adding, "I knock on wood every time I say something like that." Milley's statement contradicted several claims by Russian officials and media outlets that Russia has destroyed some of the prized weapons, which Ukraine lobbied hard for and says give it a much-needed way to defend against Moscow's invasion.
The truck-like mounted units can fire precision-targeted heavy artillery about 50 miles away, depending on the rounds used. The U.S. has provided Ukraine with 12 units so far, and another four are on the way, said Milley.
The American official's remarks followed several Russian claims that Moscow has successfully destroyed as many as four of the units. A Russian defense ministry representative said that Russian military troops destroyed four HIMARS launchers from July 5 to Wednesday.
A Telegram post on July 6 said that two of the systems were taken out in Malotaranovka in the Donbas along with two ammunition depots for the weapon. Milley did not specifically address the Russian claims during his briefing but said in broad terms that the HIMARS had not been destroyed.
When approached for comments, a Pentagon representative pointed to a July 8 briefing during which an unnamed senior defense official said that the Russian claims were "not correct." On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the situation, Business Insider reported.
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