Three senior Russian officers have been killed in a Ukrainian strike using HIMARS and drones in an occupied area of Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 27.
HUR said it obtained intelligence on a planned meeting of the Russian personnel, and along with the Unmanned Systems Forces and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), formulated a plan of attack.
Video released by HUR shows drone footage of several vehicles parked near a road. A large explosion is then followed by what appears to be the detonation of a cluster munition.
The post accompanying the video says High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) were used in the initial attack, with strike drones later targeting an evacuation group. It did not state when the attack took place.
According to HUR, the three Russian officers killed in the strike were Captain Nagorny Dmitry Olegovich, commander of the 1st battalion of the 135th motorized rifle regiment, Captain Krokhmalov Grigory Aleksandrovich, deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the 135th motorized rifle regiment, and Captain Fomin Yuri Viktorovich, commander of the anti-aircraft battery of the 4th Guards Military Base.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
HIMARS, whose prowess became a popular motif of internet memes, was a game-changer for Ukraine when they first arrived in the summer of 2022.
Initially supplied with GMLRS rockets with a range of around 70 kilometers, they allowed Ukraine to target Russian forces on the other side of the front line far more accurately than they had previously.
In the fall of 2023, the U.S. began supplying Kyiv with an older model of ATACMS – fired from HIMARS launchers – with a range of around 165 kilometers, greatly increasing the range that Ukraine could strike within.
The weapons system is a multiple rocket launcher system mounted to a 6x6 FMTV truck chassis, providing devastating firepower launched from a highly mobile platform.
Its rockets are radar-guided, with a range of around 70 kilometers (over 40 miles). When combined with high mobility, it is the ideal "shoot and scoot" system to target enemy weapons dumps and command posts.
HIMARS success stories are too numerous to count, but in February they were used against a military training ground in occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast where Russian troops were stationed, killing at least 60, the BBC reported.
A U.S. $725 million weapons package for Ukraine announced on Dec. 2 contained fresh supplies of HIMARS ammunition.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
