The US-backed HIMARS long-range missile system for Ukraine, claimed some of its units had been destroyed by Russia. The Pentagon immediately denied these claims.
Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shogiu, claimed that Russia had destroyed as many as 6 units of the HIMARS system. Not only that, five units of the Harpoon anti-ship missile launch system and 33 M777 artillery howitzers since Moscow deployed tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine.
The Pentagon called the Defense Minister's statement fabricated. "We are aware of Secretary Shogu's recent claims and again they are completely false," said Pentagon spokesman Todd Breasseale.
"What happened was that Ukraine used it with devastating accuracy and effectiveness, with the precision missile systems that the US, its allies and partners provided to Ukraine to defend against Russia's brutal and malicious invasion," he added.
Russia has several times claimed to have tampered with the HIMARS system, but so far there has been no valid evidence. Ukrainian officials say they operate about a dozen HIMARS long-range missile systems, which they say are effective against Russia.
The US-delivered weapon system is the M142 HIMARS type MLRS. There is a variant capable of firing up to hundreds of kilometers, but the version that was sent to Ukraine 'only' can fire up to 80 kilometers so as not to reach Russian territory.
The HIMARS long-range missile is easy to transport and can be operated by only 8 soldiers. Another big plus, the GPS guidance system makes it claimed to be very accurate in shooting targets and significant damage, similar to bombardment from the air.
Long-range missile systems in the past were similar in destructive power, but less accurate. The biggest technical leap in recent years has been the development of long-range precision missiles to track and hit specific targets.
As quoted by CNN, HIMARS has been used in various massive attacks on Russian areas, including an ammunition depot in Kherson. From satellite photos, it appears the attack was accurate and left only a fairly small crater trail.
There were also major eruptions in the Luhanks and Donetsk areas. In all, there were about a dozen targets hit by HIMARS in July, most of them about 40 kilometers from the Russian front line.
The Ukrainian military also fires HIMARS at night, making it difficult for Russia to track them down. "What we are witnessing is Ukraine's ability to use the HIMARS long-range missile system to significantly impair Russia's ability to move forward," said an official at the US Department of Defense.
"We shouldn't be afraid of HIMARS, we should fight it. This weapon is not a panacea, it's just a weapon currently being used by the enemy," said Andrei Kartapolov, boss of Russia's State Duma Defense Committee.
