It’s clear that Ukraine is executing a major campaign targeting Russian ammo depots in order to blunt their terrifying artillery assaults.
It’s clear that Ukraine is executing a major campaign targeting Russian ammo depots in order to blunt their terrifying artillery assaults.
More dramatic video is emerging of what is said to be a Ukrainian campaign against Russian ammunition depots using U.S.-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and other artillery systems.
The latest videos show explosions and fires at what is claimed to be Russian ammunition storage facilities in Nova Kakhovka, a city in the Kherson Oblast.
The Russians lost a “warehouse with ammunition,” Serhiy Khlan, an advisor to the head of the Kherson regional military administration said on his Facebook page early Tuesday morning Ukraine time. “People are flying out their windows, but they are still happy… because that means the Armed Forces of Ukraine is close.”
Anton Gerashchenko on Twitter: “Advisor to Head of Kherson administration Serhii Khlan confirmed that Ukrainian Army hit the ammunition warehouse that Russia had in Nova Kakhovka. What a pretty sight. https://t.co/AvFKeR15Zt” / Twitter
The shock waves were felt nearly 2,000 feet from the blast site, witnesses said.
The Russians, however, claim Ukraine hit a “warehouse with humanitarian aid” and that there were civilian casualties.
“As a result of the UAF’s strike on Novaya Kakhovka, warehouses with mineral fertilizers and saltpeter exploded, explosions continue,” the Russian news agency TASS quoted Vladimir Leontiev – the head of the military-civilian administration of the Kakhovka district of the Kherson region – as saying. “There are victims, a hospital, a market, and residential buildings were damaged, windows flew out within a radius of two kilometers.”
There is one thing both sides appear to agree on.
The attacks were carried out in part by the HIMARS systems the U.S. sent to Ukraine, eight of which are in country with four more on the way.
“According to preliminary information of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the time of the strike, there was a large fleet of vehicles at the base of the invaders in Nova Kakhovka, including at least 50 fuel trucks, as well as about 200 missiles for the Smerch MLRS and many personnel,” the pro-Ukrainian News From Kherson Telegram channel reported. “Well, is there anything else for HIMARS?”
Russian Telegram sites agreed that HIMARS was involved.
“2 Russian accounts confirm what I presumed that Ukraine launches Uragan or Grad MLRS and then launches HIMARS or Tochka-U to make it more difficult for Russian air defenses to counter them. It is no coincidence that Tochka-U have been more effective since Ukraine received HIMARS,” Rob Lee said in a Tweet.
Russian bloggers and commentators seem despondent and outraged over the attacks using HIMARS.
When asked for comment by The War Zone about what was targetted and whether HIMARS were used, the Pentagon deferred questions to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The attacks, which included some over the weekend, are part of a concerted Ukrainian effort to use the HIMARS and other systems to go after Russian ammunition depots, according to The Telegraph.
Clearly, a campaign is underway to undercut Russia’s ability to massively bombard target areas by going after the very munitions needed to do so. How effective this will be at blunting the Russian Army’s artillery juggernaut is still too early to be seen, but it certainly won’t help them, that’s for sure.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
