American-made high-tech HIMARS missile launchers began to arrive on the front line in Ukraine. Ukrainian crews told American journalists from The Wall Street Journal about the first results of their use.
Thus, 22-year-old Lieutenant Koval, who commands two HIMARS batteries, spoke about the attack on the headquarters of the Russian army in the city of Izyum, Kharkiv oblast, which they located in one of the cityʼs schools. This strike eliminated 17 Russian soldiers, including a colonel and two majors, and a certain amount of equipment. There were also 20 wounded among the occupiers.
A few days later, the HIMARS hit the Russian military barracks where the recruits were sleeping, causing heavy casualties. During the third attack, the Ukrainians aimed all four systems to Russian positions in one Ukrainian city. Another blow was delivered to the town of Zymohirya, Luhansk oblast, approximately 50 kilometers from the front line.
Ukrainian soldiers operating the HIMARS said they had redoubled their penetration into occupied territory with greater precision and less risk to themselves.
“HIMARS are very strong. They allow us to insert sticks into their [Russian] wheels as much as possible. For us, this is a huge advantage, Russia has nothing like it," said Lieutenant Koval.
What HIMARS is
Each HIMARS system fires six high-precision missiles with a range of up to 80 kilometers (twice that of M777 howitzers), allowing them to strike Russian command posts, ammunition and fuel depots, as well as troop concentrations in the rear. These missile launchers are also smaller and more maneuverable, which helps them hide from reconnaissance. Crews work inside an armored cabin. And they are fast: in two or three minutes after parking, they can launch missiles and move again 20 seconds after the shot.
Each missile costs $155,000, so the Ukrainian military focuses its firepower on important targets, such as military headquarters, weapons depots and barracks, rather than on individual Russian tanks or artillery systems. In this way, they expect to force the Kremlin to withdraw powers from the front line, which will further complicate the already tense logistics of the occupiers.
In June, Ukraine received four HIMARS systems from the US, four more are expected by mid-July. On Thursday, June 30, US President Joe Biden announced that as part of a new $800 million aid package, Ukraine will receive additional HIMARS from other countries and more ammunition from the US.