Foreign Soldiers Reveal Conditions In Ukraine: Artillery Loses 8:1 With Russia, Worries About Prisoners In Parliament

JAKARTA - Ukrainian heavy artillery is outnumbered by roughly eight to one by Russian weapons, putting Ukraine at a significant disadvantage, a spokesman for Ukraine's International Legion said on Monday.

Damien Magrou, spokesman for the unit made up of foreign nationals, said at a briefing in Kyiv that more weapons from Ukraine's Western partners were needed to close the gap.

"We are entering a phase of the war where our losses to Russian troops in terms of heavy weapons and artillery are being felt," Magrou said, launching TASS on July 12.

He went on to say that the M142 HIMARS dual launch rocket system supplied by the United States had an impact on the battlefield.

"We can already see the results," he said.

As previously reported, the US-made HIMARS advanced rocket system used by Ukrainian troops has alarmed Russia. The sophistication of HIMARS is capable of destroying the Russian military position.

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which the United States began sending to Ukraine last month, appears to be most effective in undermining Russian military positions.

Russia has suffered "huge losses in both personnel and equipment" in less than a week, according to Igor Girkin, a former commander of separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, as quoted by The Moscow Times.

"Russia's air defense systems… turned out to be ineffective against a massive attack by HIMARS missiles," wrote Girkin, who also goes by the alias Strelkov, on messaging app Telegram.

However, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said arms shipments needed to be accelerated, citing 100 soldiers killed every day while waiting.

"We need more, quickly, to save the lives of our soldiers. Every day we wait for howitzers, we could lose a hundred soldiers," he told the BBC.

Apart from weaponry, Magrou also voiced concern about the fate of international fighters held captive in the self-proclaimed Russian-backed People's Republic of Donetsk (DPR) in eastern Ukraine.

The self-proclaimed entity previously executed three foreign nationals who served in other units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"We are very concerned about the instrumentalization of the captives," said Magrou.