Russian Defense Minister Claims Success In Destroying Six HIMARS After US Announces New Military Assistance, Including New Artillery Units

JAKARTA - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday Russia had destroyed six US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) during the war in Ukraine.

As reported by Reuters from Interfax on August 2, Minister Shoigu said Russia had also destroyed five Harpoon anti-ship missile launch systems and 33 M777 howitzers, also from the US in the invasion that began on February 24.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials said they operate up to a dozen HIMARS systems, whose accuracy and range allow Kyiv to reduce the advantage of Russian artillery.

A day earlier, the US Government announced new military assistance to Ukraine worth US$550 million on Monday, which includes a new HIMARS unit, citing The National News.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley held a call with their Ukrainian counterparts on Monday to deliver news on the latest security package.

The Pentagon said the package was the 17th recall of equipment from its inventory that had been allocated to Ukraine since August 2021 and included 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery rounds as well as ammunition for HIMARS.

A weapon is a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles. Russia also operates multiple rocket launchers, but Himars has superior range and precision, with rockets capable of flying as far as 80 kilometers.

Long-range rocket fire is seen as crucial to the conflict, as Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to engage in brutal artillery and missile battles in the relatively open area of the eastern Donbas region.

It is known that Washington has trained more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate the launcher. In total, the Pentagon said, the United States has sent about $8.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since January 2021 and about $6.9 billion since the Russian invasion in February.