Russia Strikes Ukrainian Ammunition Depot, Claims To Destroy 100 US-made HIMARS Missiles

In a major development, the Russian Defence Ministry, on Wednesday, claimed its forces destroyed over 100 US-made HIMARS rockets on July 24.

In a major development, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed its forces destroyed over 100 US-made HIMARS rockets that were sent to Ukraine on July 24. According to the statement released by the ministry, Russian Aerospace Forces targetted an ammunition depot near the settlement of Lyubimovka, Dnepropetrovsk region on Sunday and destroyed more than 100 US-made long-range weapons.

“On July 24, a strike by Russia’s Aerospace Forces on an ammunition depot near the settlement of Lyubimovka, Dnepropetrovsk region, destroyed more than a hundred missiles for the US-made HIMARS Multiple launch rocket system,” RT World quoted the ministry’s report.

Also, it claimed the Russian forces have killed at least 120 Ukrainian military personnel who were deployed to guard the facility. As per the ministry, the deceased include foreign mercenaries and technical specialists. Notably, this was not the first time when Russia made such claims. Earlier on July 22, Moscow had made a similar claim wherein it said to destroy at least four HIMARS missile systems. However, the claims were refuted by the West. As of now, the Biden administration claimed it has supplied at least 12 HIMARS to Kyiv— nearly 38 less than what Kyiv has demanded since the onset of the war. Last week, the Pentagon announced it would send at least four such missile systems to Ukraine.

US to send four HIMARS to war-ridden Ukraine

Earlier this month, a top Ukrainian official said that the Ukrainian forces are now running out of ammunition. In the Mykolaiv region, its governor, Vitaliy Kim, said that the Ukrainian forces, who have been defending the country against Russians with Soviet-era weapons, are running out of ammunition. He appealed to the Western countries to supply advanced weapons to the war-torn country at the earliest. The governor acknowledged that Russian troops are equipped with the latest and most advanced weapons that have been inundating Ukraine from nearly all sides. Subsequently, the Biden administration, which has been supplying weapons to Kyiv, announced fresh military aid worth $270 million.

In the newly sanctioned military aid, US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, said the Biden administration will send High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS to Kyiv. Also, he said the aid includes some 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and additional ammunition for the HIMARS. “The president has been clear that we’re going to continue to support the government of Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes,” Kirby said. However, he clarified that the administration will not send long-range weapons which have the potential to enter Russian territory– thus rejecting the desperate demand of the Ukrainian army. He said that the sanctioning of long-range weapons means instigating a broader war with Moscow.