Ukraine's military has for the first time openly acknowledged it is using US-provided HIMARS rocket systems to attack Russia and destroy its major infrastructure, especially bridges, inside its own territory.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces made the admission in a Wednesday Telegram post to its official account, writing: "Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region? Operators ... accurately destroy them."
"The statement said U.S.-manufactured HIMARS rocket systems were used," Reuters described of the post. What's more is that Ukraine's military published footage of US HIMARS being used to target several key bridges in Kursk in a new video montage...
This marks the first such official public disclosure from Kiev that its forces are using the US Army's M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System to strike inside sovereign Russian territory. These units can be outfitted with either mid-range or long-range missiles
Starting late last week, Russian officials began accusing Ukraine forces of using the American-supplied weapon, after at least two bridges were destroyed. By the weekend, a third strategic bridge was taken out as Ukraine forces tried to solidify their hold in Kursk.
Reuters comments this week that "Ukraine has damaged or destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River since Kyiv launched a major assault into western Russia on Aug. 6 advancing up to 28-35 kilometres (39.15 miles).
RIA additionally has reported that other Western arms have been used in the ongoing assault: "Samples of small arms manufactured by the United States and Sweden have been seized at the liquidation site of a Ukrainian sabotage group near the village of Kremyanoe in the Kursk region," the report said.
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| Destruction of Russian pontoon crossings in Kursk Oblast, from Ukraine Special Operations Forces video/Telegram |
Forbes has meanwhile proclaimed that Ukraine is busy blowing up bridges in Kursk as fast as Russia can rebuild them. "The effect, six days into the river campaign, is that a huge swathe of Kursk—and any Russian troops there—is effectively cut off from overland supplies and reinforcements," the publication writes.
"And don’t expect large-scale aerial resupply: Ukrainian forces have made the air over Kursk extremely inhospitable to Russian helicopters," Forbes adds. However, some Russian sources have said the invasion is currently being rolled back, and all the while Russian gains in the Donbass continue to come at rapid pace.
