The system capable of firing ATACMS was located and destroyed near the city of Nikolayev
The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday reported the destruction of a US-made М270А1 MLRS missile system in Ukraine’s Nikolayev Region, sharing drone footage of the strike.
The system, a heavier-tracked cousin of HIMARS, capable of firing ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles as well as smaller projectiles, was spotted by surveillance drones near the village of Shevchenkovo, located to the south of the city of Nikolayev. The vehicle was apparently being prepared to fire missiles, yet it opted to return to its staging area for some unknown reason.
The launcher and its support vehicle were tracked to a civilian hangar on the southern outskirts of Shevchenkovo, footage shows. The building was promptly hit by a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile. The powerful blast inflicted heavy damage on the hangar, with multiple secondary explosions observed by the surveillance drone.
“Objective control recorded the destruction of the target and a secondary detonation. Ukrainian Armed Forces militants, an M270A1 MLRS launcher, a support vehicle, as well as transport-loading vehicles with ammunition that were concealed in the hangar, were destroyed in the strike,” the military said in a statement.
The Russian military has been consistently hunting for high-value Ukrainian assets, including the HIMARS-family launchers. Throughout June, hits on several units of the type have been reported, with some of them corroborated by drone footage.
Touted by the Ukrainian military as a high-precision tool to strike important Russian military targets, such as airfields or command points, systems of this type have been routinely used for indiscriminate strikes deep into Russian territory.
On Sunday, for instance, the Ukrainian military fired five ATACMS missiles packed with cluster warheads at Crimea, according to the Russian military. While four missiles were intercepted, one made it through, spilling its contents along a beach, injuring over 150 people and killing at least five, including two children.