Ukraine HIMARS Destroys Russian Convoy Near Gas Station: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Russian troops were killed in a strike by Ukraine's forces on a convoy next to an abandoned gas station using a U.S.-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), it has been reported.
The Telegram channel ASTRA said the strike took place in Makiivka, within the occupied Donetsk region last week and posted video that purportedly showed the aftermath of burning vehicles on the side of the road.
Newsweek could not independently verify the footage and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
This image from May 18, 2023 shows a M142 HIMARS launch a rocket in the Bakhmut direction in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
This image from May 18, 2023 shows a M142 HIMARS launch a rocket in the Bakhmut direction in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.Why It Matters
Ukrainian media outlets reported the strike, which shows the continuing role that the U.S-supplied weapon still plays on the battlefield. It comes as Kyiv's forces made gains near Makiivka, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
What To Know
ASTRA reported that the Ukrainian HIMARS hit the Russian convoy in a strike in Makiivka on June 13 around 20 miles from the front line in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. The strike also destroyed a Russian Defense Ministry bus, and military vehicles.
The wheeled HIMARS fired several rockets and hit the convoy with hundreds of thousands of tungsten fragments, according to a clip of the incident's aftermath posted by X account WarTranslated.
Ukrainian media reports said eight Russian servicemen were killed and another 12 were injured. Most were in military unit 71443.
Two civilians were also killed, ASTRA said next to footage filmed from a vehicle driving past the scene, which shows a column of cars, a large fire and a hole in the road.
In its update on Sunday, the ISW said that geolocated footage published showed that Ukrainian forces had recently advanced northwest of Makiivka.
Ukraine continues to use HIMARS on the battlefield. In February this year, the weapon was reported to be behind a strike on a Russian military headquarters in Selydove in the Donetsk region, which killed a large number of commanders.
Overnight Monday, a Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least 15 people and injured 124 others during a nine-hour long barrage of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
What People Are Saying
The pro-Ukrainian Euromaidan X channel: "In occupied Makiivka, the Russians gathered in a column. In vain. Because Mr. HIMARS came."
Ukrainian X user Maria Drutska, next to purported footage of the strike's aftermath: "The occupiers are scattered along the road."
What Happens Next
Ukraine's forces are likely to continue using HIMARS to strike at Russian targets. The military analyst David Axe said in a Substack article that Russian convoys are the kinds of target Ukraine's roughly three dozen surviving HIMARS are looking to target.
However, Russian drone crews are improving their strikes on HIMARS, with Moscow's Iskander missile batteries able to hit them up to 57 miles away, he added.
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