[Teeth53]

https://kyivindependent.com/national/1234

Ukraine currently already had a total of nine HIMARS and “similar systems,” The deployment of HIMARS has also let the Ukrainian resume the wide use of Tochka-U ballistic missiles, which Ukraine had been reserving for the most critical operations. Many Russian ammunition depots have been destroyed with these missiles. The presence of HIMARS, with their precise M30/M31 GMLRS rockets with an effective range of nearly 80 kilometers, is also having an indirect impact on Russian munitions logistics in the rear.

Due to the long effective range of HIMARS, Russia, severely dependent on railroad transportation, has to unload ammunition from trains much farther from the frontline, at a distance of nearly 100 kilometers in many cases.

This stretches thin Russian ground lines of communications between front-line artillery units and munitions depots. It forces Russian forces to be increasingly dependent on use of automobile transportation of munitions which is less effective, inflexible, and slower with longer supply lines. In an ideal situation, the U.S.-provided advanced weapons systems will make it impossible for Russia to keep up the necessary pace of providing its troops with enough ammunition and supplies.

Devastating strikes on Russian command posts for Ukraine began using the first of four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, provided by the U.S., nearly a week before used.

On June 15, a massive explosion occurred near the city of Khrustalniy (formerly Krasniy Luch) in occupied Luhansk Oblast. Explosions continued for days. Satellite images see, the blasts created a destruction zone spanning some 500 meters around the epicenter. The site was one of Russia’s largest ammunition depots, built for Russian forces In the Azotniy neighborhood in the northeastern part of Donetsk where Russia established ammunition depots through the city, successful attacks have continued on an almost daily basis. On July 2, Ukraine’s military published a video showing an enormous explosion at large depot in city of Popasna in Luhansk Oblast being used to supply Russian units near Bakhmut and to the south of the Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Two days and another devastating blast destroyed a large depot in the city of Snizhne. Three more depots were also hit in Donetsk.