Russia declares destruction of Ukraine's modern weapons systems
Russia said its forces had destroyed multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and other US weapons supplied to Ukraine.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that the country's forces destroyed Ukrainian weapons, including the US-supplied HIMARS rocket artillery system to Kiev.
"During an artillery exchange, a Ukrainian platoon, including Alder and HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, was destroyed near the village of Pyatigorskoye in the Kharkiv region," Konashenkov said.
 |
HIMARS M142 rocket artillery system. Photo: Getty |
Alder is a Ukrainian-made guided multiple launch rocket system that entered service with the Ukrainian military in 2018.
Konashenkov did not specify how many Ukrainian weapons systems Russia had targeted, but said Russia had also struck platoons of Grad MLRS, Soviet-era D-30 and Gvozdika howitzers in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Nikolaev region.
Last month, Russia also made several announcements about the destruction of HIMARS - a rocket artillery system with a range of more than 70 km that allowed Ukraine to attack dozens of Russian ammunition depots and command centers.
At least 16 HIMARS systems have been delivered to Ukrainian forces, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said, and a new shipment of artillery shells for the systems as part of a $1 billion military assistance package will be announced by the Biden administration next week, Reuters reported.
Ukraine has denied that Russia destroyed the HIMARS systems while the Pentagon said there was no credible evidence that HIMARS was damaged or destroyed.
The Russian announcement came as British defence officials said Russia had moved military equipment and troops to Kherson in south-west Ukraine, where Kiev is intensifying its counter-offensive. The UK Ministry of Defence's assessment also called the developments a sign the war had entered a "new phase"./.
