Ukraine Mocks Russia With a HIMARS 'Good Night': 'Usually Means Farewell'
© Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty
A High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) is pictured during a military exercise on September 26, 2022, in Skede, Latvia. On Tuesday, Ukraine's Defense Ministry posted a video demonstrating one of its HIMARS on Twitter as a way to mock the Russian military.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry showed off its High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in a video on Twitter Tuesday, taunting Russia with its high-precision capabilities.
In the 20-second clip, the Ukraine military captures two HIMARS rockets being launched into the night sky.
"When HIMARS says 'Good night!', it usually means 'Farewell!'," the Defense Ministry wrote in its caption.
The United States has sent at least 20 HIMARS to Ukraine to aid in its defense against Russia's invasion. The lightweight mobile launcher can mount onto military vehicles and has proven to be a formidable addition to Ukraine's military repertoire, as Kyiv's forces have successfully used the weapon to strike ammunition depots, bridges and other key targets.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency had notified Congress of a potential $10 billion sale that would approve an additional 18 HIMARS to be sent to Poland, as the NATO ally has been working to "modernize" its artillery while sending its older weapons to Ukraine.
In December, the Defense Department also announced a $430 million contract with the defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin for additional HIMARS production. But a report from The Wall Street Journal that same month found that the U.S. has been modifying the rocket systems it sends to Ukraine, hindering Kyiv's ability to shoot long distances so as not to escalate its war with Russia.
Nevertheless, the precision-grade artillery has been a sore in Russian President Vladimir Putin's side, as senior intelligence analyst Zev Faintuch told Newsweek in December that Russia's military has been forced to keep its assets over 50 miles behind the front lines in order to keep ammunition depots and control centers out of the reach of Ukraine's artillery.
Meanwhile, Russia seems to be running low on its own weaponry supply, according to retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who told CNN late last year that Putin's attempt to form additional partnerships with countries like Iran and China was a sign that he "is realizing that he's quickly running out of the kinds of munitions he needs to continue this fight."
Ukraine has also continued to exhaust Putin's troops as the war approaches its one-year mark at the end of February, with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reporting Tuesday that Russian troops had faced their biggest loss in a 24-hour period, losing up to 1,030 soldiers in one day.
Ukraine also claimed that Russia had lost 25 tanks over the past two days, bringing Putin's total tank losses to 3,245.
Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.
Related Articles
