HIMARS were widely credited with halting Russia's advance in the early months of the war as Putin attempted a decisive strike against Kyiv. For the first time, Ukraine has reportedly used US-manufactured HIMARS missiles within Russia, according to sources inside Vladimir Putin’s country.
In a potentially significant development, Kremlin affiliate Evgeniy Poddubny claimed on Telegram: "The enemy has begun using Western-made weapon systems to attack 'old' Russian territory. These are fragments of M142 HIMARS MLRS shells." Poddubny, who is under Western sanctions, shared several photos to support his claims.
He further stated, "The Russian Army’s air defense crews destroyed more than 10 missiles in the sky over the Belgorod region. The use of this type of weapon in combat is not possible without Western military specialists." Ukraine has not commented on Poddubny’s claims, but the US last week authorized President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces to use US-built weapons against targets inside Russia near the border with the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine.
Previously, Washington had been hesitant to grant such permission due to concerns that these strikes could escalate the conflict. However, reports of Russia massing over 500,000 troops along the border convinced US President Joe Biden of the necessity to authorize these strikes as a means of self-defense.
The US permission is limited to the area just north of the border and restricts Ukraine to using HIMARS against targets in Russia, excluding longer-range missiles.
In Russia, six people were injured in shelling in the city of Shebekino in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also reported, without details, that a local official, the deputy head of the Korochansky district, was killed by an ammunition detonation.
In the neighboring Kursk region, three people were injured by an explosive device dropped from a drone, as reported by acting regional head Alexey Smirnov.
The Russian state-controlled news agency Tass claimed today that the Chechen Akhmat battalion had been deployed to Belgorod Oblast to create a “buffer zone.”
HIMARS, which stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, played a crucial role in helping Ukraine repel Russian forces during the early phase of the war following Putin’s February 2022 invasion. In February of this year, a blogger on Telegram’s Spy Dossier channel claimed a HIMARS strike killed 65 Russian troops at a training facility in the Donetsk region.
The post detailed, "This facility provided training for military personnel of the 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (military unit 35390, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). The rocket attack occurred while military personnel were assembling at the training ground. The strike was carried out by three HIMARS MLRS missiles.”
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