Russian soldiers hiding in a forest in occupied southern Ukraine were struck down by a Ukrainian High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) attack, Kyiv’s military reported on Friday.
The Special Operations Forces (SSO) of Ukraine revealed that their UAV crew from the 73rd Maritime Center of Special Forces discovered the Russian troops’ location during a reconnaissance mission in the southern region.
“The SSO adjusted HIMARS fire at the location of the Russians in the southern sector,” the post stated. “As a result of the strike, the Russian military suffered significant losses.”
The US-supplied HIMARS has proven to be a formidable asset for Ukraine, allowing the destruction of Russia’s advanced anti-aircraft missile systems.
This rocket system has played a critical role throughout the ongoing conflict, now in its third year. The US has provided Ukraine with at least 39 HIMARS units since the war began.
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Video footage shared by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry shows a powerful explosion followed by thick clouds of black smoke. The Ministry posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the message: “HIMARS says hi to the occupiers on the southern axis.”
Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian forces using HIMARS. In October 2023, footage reportedly showed the aftermath of a HIMARS strike on a Russian battalion.
The Ukrainian open-source intelligence project, DeepState, reported this attack took place at a training ground near the village of Podo-Kalynivka in occupied Kherson. BBC News Russian service, citing a Ukrainian special services source, confirmed the same location for the strike.
In that incident, the Ukrainian newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli reported that at least 60 Russian soldiers were killed.
Additionally, Serhiy Bratchuk, a Ukrainian official in southern Ukraine, noted that Kyiv’s forces attacked a Russian training area near the Donetsk city of Volnovakha with HIMARS, resulting in around 65 Russian soldiers’ deaths near the village of Trudivske.
The BBC’s Russian service reported that two missiles were used in that strike.
