Ukraine: Russia Lying About Destroying U.S. Rocket Systems

Ukraine has accused Russia of spreading misleading information after Moscow claimed to have destroyed two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) supplied by the United States, Vasco Cotovio, Olga Voitovych, and Anna Chernova reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Earlier Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that an air attack in the Donetsk region destroyed the HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

“Russian propagandists are actively spreading false information about the alleged destruction of the American HIMARS artillery system,” Ukraine’s Joint Forces Task Force said in a statement Wednesday.

“We emphasize that this message does not correspond to reality and is nothing but a fake.” The US has committed to sending eight HIMARS to Ukraine, and at least four of them have already engaged Russian positions.

Earlier Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that an air attack in the Donetsk region destroyed the HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

“High-precision air-launched missiles destroyed two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket launchers and two of their ammunition depots,” the Russian defense ministry said in a briefing on Wednesday.

The ministry released video of the claimed strike, but CNN was unable to identify any HIMARS MLRS in the footage. CNN was also unable to independently confirm either claim. Though, it has confirmed the destruction of Russian tanks, ammunition dumps, and fuel depots far from the frontlines and well inside HIMARS missile range.

The use of not only HIMARS, but also other Western-supplied weaponry, has been connected to an increase in the frequency of strikes further into Russian lines, because most are long-ranged and more accurate than some of the Soviet-era equipment Ukraine was fielding at the outset of the war.

“The HIMARS artillery systems provided by the American partners constantly inflict a devastating hit on strategically important points of the enemy, which leads to colossal losses of the equipment, personnel, and support of the occupying forces,” Ukraine’s Joint Forces Task Force added in its statement.

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