HIMARS having 'significant impact' on Ukraine's front lines against Russia: Pentagon

The US-supplied long range HIMARS to Ukraine has been having significant impact on Ukraine's war effort against Russian aggression, US Department of Defense has claimed in a release. Pentagon recently supplied an estimated eight of the 142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or the HIMARS, that now allows the Ukrainian armed forces to target multiple, precision-guided rockets in retaliation to the incoming fire from Russia's side.

Ukraine's military also destroyed a Russian ammunition depot in the southern city of Nova Kakhovka, killing at least four Russian soldiers. The new aupply of HIMARS to Kyiv has brought the total figure of the advanced weaponry system to an estimated 12 since last month, and the Pentagon has also pledged to send an addtional four. 

American High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems HIMARS. Credit: US Department of Defense

"American High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems being used in Ukraine are making an impact on the conflict there between Ukrainians fighting to preserve their national sovereignty and Russian forces who have illegally invaded that country," the US Department of Defense [DoD] noted in a release. 

Credit: US Dept of defense

HIMARS' 'indirect, but significant impact..'

The M142 HIMARS system is allowing Ukrainian forces to counter Russian targets by launching multiple, precision-guided rockets. A senior military official said the Defense Department [DoD] believes the HIMARS are having an indirect, but significant impact on front line operations. 

"I think there has been significant impact on what's going on, on the front lines," the official said in a statement published by US Department of Defense. "If you think about the fact that the Ukrainians have been talking about a number of the targets [they] are hitting ... they're spending a lot of time striking targets like ammunition, supplies, other logistical supplies, command and control," he furthermore added. 

"And all those things have a direct impact on the ability to conduct operations on the front line.  ... Although they're not shooting the HIMARS at the front lines, they are having a very, very significant effect on that," said the official. The conflict between the invading Russians and the Ukrainians has been ongoing now for 142 days, the official said.

And while the Russians have made some incremental gains, they have been hard earned. "We assess that Russian forces are limited to incremental if any gains around the northern Donbass, held up by Ukrainian defenses," the official said. "Russian forces continue to employ indiscriminate artillery bombardment along with air and missile strikes."