Footage has been released showing the strike, which reportedly took place in Zaporozhye Region
A Russian kamikaze drone has destroyed a US-made HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system in Zaporozhye Region, Telegram channel ‘The Wrong Side’ has reported, citing an anonymous source. The story has been circulated by Russian media outlets.
The US first supplied Ukraine with the system, which boasts a longer range and higher precision than its Soviet-era equivalents, back in June 2022. Since then, Washington has repeatedly replenished Kiev’s stocks. The M142 HIMARS is capable of firing various types of munitions, including GPS-guided GMLRS rockets and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
In a post on Monday, ‘The Wrong Side’ Telegram channel – a pro-Moscow outlet that reports on hostilities in Ukraine – published a short undated video clip purportedly showing the moment a Russian Lancet drone hit a Ukrainian HIMARS near the village of Novosoloshino in Zaporozhye Region. The US-made launcher was apparently on the move as part of a convoy when it was struck. The extent of the damage is not clear from the footage, which appears to have been shot from another UAV.
The Telegram channel quoted its unnamed source as saying the HIMARS launcher had recently relocated to the region, and that Russian surveillance teams quickly established its route. According to the source, the system caught fire after the strike, but did not explode, as it was apparently not loaded at the time. The post added that after the successful kill, the Russian drones moved on to pursue another high-priority target elsewhere.
In its daily report on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian casualties in the past 24 hours had exceeded 1,500 along the frontline. In addition, Russian forces obliterated multiple pieces of Ukrainian hardware in the Donetsk People’s Republic, including two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled 155mm artillery gun, several ammunition depots, and Soviet-designed artillery and electronic warfare systems.
