Ukraine mocks Russia with a HIMARS ‘Good night’: ‘usually means goodbye’

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry showed off its High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in a video on Twitter on Tuesday, taunting Russia with its high-precision capabilities.

In the 20 second clipthe Ukrainian military captures two HIMARS rockets, which are launched into the night sky.

“If HIMARS ‘Good night!’ says, it usually means ‘Farewell!'” the Department of Defense wrote in its caption.

The United States has sent at least 20 HIMARS to Ukraine to help defend against Russian invasion. The lightweight mobile launcher can be mounted on military vehicles and has proven to be a formidable addition to Ukraine’s military repertoire, as Kyiv’s armed forces have successfully used the weapon to attack ammunition depots, bridges and other key targets.

Reuters reported Tuesday that the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency briefed Congress on a potential $10 billion sale that would authorize the shipment of an additional 18 HIMARS to Poland as the NATO ally worked to secure its To “modernize” artillery, while he sent his older guns to Ukraine.

In December, the Department of Defense also announced a $430 million contract with defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin for additional HIMARS production. But a report from The Wall Street Journal That same month, the US was found to have modified the missile systems it is sending to Ukraine, hampering Kiev’s ability to fire at long range so as not to escalate its war with Russia.

Still, the precision artillery was a wound in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to senior intelligence analyst Zev Faintuch news week in December that the Russian military was forced to keep its assets more than 50 miles behind the front lines to keep ammunition depots and control centers out of range of Ukrainian artillery.

Meanwhile, Russia appears to be running low on its own stockpiles of weapons, according to retired US Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who told CNN late last year that Putin’s attempt to forge additional partnerships with countries like Iran and China is a sign that it’s him to realize he’s quickly running out of the kind of ammo he needs to continue this fight.”

Ukraine has also continued to exhaust Putin’s troops as the war nears its one-year mark in late February, with Ukraine’s General Staff of Armed Forces reporting on Tuesday that Russian troops had suffered their largest loss in a 24-hour period. lose up to 1,030 soldiers in one day.

Ukraine also claimed that Russia lost 25 tanks in the past two days, bringing Putin’s total tank losses to 3,245.

news week has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.