Russia claims to have destroyed 35 Himars missiles. In fact, Ukraine received only 20 from the United States

In a report on events on the front on January 3, the Russian Defense Ministry said that “two missiles of the multiple missile system HIMARS” were destroyed near Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

Since last summer, when Ukraine first received HIMARS, Moscow has consistently claimed to have destroyed these highly advanced US military systems.

And, according to reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia also claims to have been able to strike More HIMARS launchers than replaced In Kiev.

Russian service BBC Official daily reports from the Russian Defense Ministry published on its Telegram channel verified the total number of so-called Russian attacks on HIMARS.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said it had “destroyed” 24 HIMARS installations, and according to the Russians, it was “subdued” or “suppressed” (sometimes the ministry said it was an MLRS “battery” “or “platoon”).

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Thus, from the official reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the BBC News notes that a total of 35 HIMARS systems of the Ukrainian army were attacked.

However, to date, as of early 2023, Ukraine has received only 20 HIMARS systems From America.

Kiev is expected to receive more missile systems later this year.

On the other hand, US administration officials They told reporters During the war, Russia was unable to destroy even one Himars-type military installation. These statements were repeated by the Ukrainian authorities.

The Ukrainian military used wooden HIMARS systems to fool the Russians

In September, The Washington Post reported that the Ukrainian military used fake models of wooden HIMARS launchers to fool Russian intelligence and attack these decoys by spending more money on expensive cruise missiles.

Thanks to the HIMARS systems, capable of striking Russian military targets at long distances, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to ensure the success of several operations, including the liberation of Kherson and Kharkiv regions.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, with the help of HIMARS, A Russian base in the city of Makhivka was attacked On New Year’s Day.

Late on Tuesday, the Russian military department said 89 people had been killed in the strike, but Ukrainian sources put the number in the hundreds.