Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukrainian troops destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots with HIMARS

With weapons provided by the West, Ukraine has made gains in the war waged by Russia that has been going on for five months. Kyiv said its forces destroyed 50 Russian ammunition depots with the use of the HIMARS systems.

Ukraine said Monday that its forces destroyed around 50 Russian ammunition depots Monday using the US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems since receiving them in June. In televised remarks, Ukrainian defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov noted the effectiveness of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems in striking key targets such as ammunition depots.

“This cuts their logistical chains and takes away their ability to conduct active fighting and cover our armed forces with heavy shelling,” said Reznikov, adding that Ukrainian artillery crews carried out “precise” strikes on several key bridges.

While Reznikov did not disclose any specific details, he was referring to the three river-crossings in the occupied Kherson region where local occupied authorities said were attacked by HIMARS rockets in the past week.

Reznikov also said Ukraine received three Gepard anti-aircraft armored fighting vehicles, the first of 15 that are expected to be sent, and that Kyiv was also expecting dozens of leopard tanks.

Russia has criticized the United States for providing Ukraine with instructors to train its forces in how to use the HIMARS systems. Kyiv stressed the importance of Western supplies of weapons to its military effort, noting the importance of the HIMARS systems to counter Russia’s advantage in numbers and ammunition.

HIMARS systems have a longer range and are much more precise compared to Soviet-era artillery.

Meanwhile, the United States said Monday that Russia’s strike on the port city of Odesa has cast doubt on the deal on Ukrainian grain. Washington added that it will continue to explore possible options with the international community to ensure Ukrainian exports through trade routes.

This follows the Kremlin’s comments saying that its strike on possible military infrastructure would not affect the grain deal.

“We are going to be watching this closely to see if Russia meets their commitments under this arrangement since this attack casts serious doubt on Russia’s credibility,” said a spokesperson for the National Security Council in a statement.