HIMARS fall on Belgorod: How is Ukraine destroying the russian rear with Western weapons?
Ukraine has already managed to launch effective strikes with Western weapons on russian territory. The first American missiles flew into russia a few hours after Washington officially authorised the use of its weapons. Find out which targets have already been hit by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and how this affects the russians
Several days have already passed since Ukraine received official permission from the United States to use American weapons on russian territory. During this time, the Ukrainian army has already managed to distinguish itself with several powerful strikes on the russian border. We tell you how the Ukrainian armed forces are destroying the rear of the enemy.
The first strikes with Western weapons began hitting russia a few hours after the Ukrainian military was given the green light from Washington.
Because of the russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian army began strikes on the border area of Belgorod region (russia). One of the first targets of the AFU was the russian air defence.
The first strikes against russia proved effective
For the Ukrainian army, the West's permission to use their weapons on russia is obviously not a turning point, but a very "fat" bonus that Ukraine will obviously take advantage of.
Some of the Ukrainian army's first strikes came in the Belgorod region, where the AFU, according to military telegram channels, managed to destroy S-300/400 SAMs, Tornado MLRSs and another air defence installation.
According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the destroyed russian S-300/400 SAMs were located about 60 kilometres from the north of Kharkiv Oblast - the current front line.
For the strike, according to experts, the Ukrainian army used missiles from HIMERS.
The strikes began immediately after the US gave the go-ahead
The Forbes publication wrote late last week that Ukraine used HIMARS to strike russian territory in the direction of Belgorod just hours after it received permission to use the US weapon on Friday.
"By striking Belgorod and the region, the Ukrainians are disrupting the northern grouping of forces - and a likely new strike group - without having to fight the russians in the streets in Volchansk," the publication wrote.
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Why is this a big problem for the russians?
According to the BBC, since the beginning of the russian offensive in Kharkiv, the Belgorod region has become the rear of the offensive group - with all the relevant infrastructure, warehouses, headquarters, airfields, logistics, roads, bridges, air defence systems, etc.
Until now, this territory had immunity from long-range strikes, and this made russian logistics very easy, the russians could, for example, make large warehouses and not hide air defence systems very much.
Now the russians will just have to change the whole logistics system, they will have to disperse and hide the headquarters, they will have to change the air defence systems. This will change and complicate the work of the russian rear very much.
Striking air defence systems is probably Ukraine's strategy for further attacks on russian territory. The plan is to make the air defences less dense in the frontline areas where the long awaited F-16s will appear.
In addition, Ukraine also has British-French Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles. And no restrictions have been imposed on strikes with these weapons, so, most likely, the Ukrainian army in the future will use these cruise missiles against such targets as airfields.
We remind you! Ukrainian naval drones again hit russian ships in the Black Sea. The operation was carried out by the special unit Group 13. Read here what watercraft were destroyed and what the russians are not telling us here.
Photo: Sgt. Andy Martinez / U.S. Department of Defense
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