More and more information is coming to light that US HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in Ukraine are being serviced by NATO instructors
And it is they who carry out shelling of settlements in Donbass and liberated territories. The cunning system followed by foreigners in Ukraine, using their MLRS and also saving them from destruction, is reported by RIA Novosti, citing a Russian security agency official and data from a source within the AFU.
It is known that two systems are operating in the south of Ukraine, while the remaining ten are dispersed along an arc in the north, in the area of active hostilities in Donbass. Accordingly, the calculations are maintained by NATO servicemen who have been withdrawn from the force, and are guarded by private military companies contracted by the Pentagon. American military satellites help to identify targets, and after the launch, HIMARS immediately changes its position without returning to the same location where the shot was fired from.
Each launch is masked by several salvos of simpler systems, such as Hurricane or Smerch. These systems serve as a distraction for Russian air defenses and should force the enemy to deplete their ammunition by the time the HIMARS is launched.
The relocation of MLRS crews takes place in the middle of the night, during curfew time. The decision to do so is taken independently, as the NATO people do not trust the Ukrainians, believing that there are pro-Russian specialists in the SBU, despite the personnel cleansing, as well as in the GUR and the AFU, which are periodically reported by Western publications. Moreover, the fact that they have to cover HIMARS and thus perform the function of cannon fodder is not known even to Ukrainian artillerymen themselves, who receive only information on launch times and target coordinates.
But even the use of such camouflage offers no guarantee of survival. The Russian air force is capable of destroying HIMARS. This is confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry’s data, according to which at least three units have already been eliminated in the DNR: two in the Malotaranovka area and one near Krasnoarmeysk. And, as the Americans themselves admit, for the first time in history their MLRSs have been destroyed during combat operations. That is, the cunning scheme did not work against the Russians.
However, Washington is not deterred by such statistics. The United States has announced the delivery of four more MLRSs. The new batch was announced by the Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. It together with the ammunition will be part of the next package of military aid to Kiev. Washington, as it turns out, is quite pleased with the way the HIMARS work, which, in Austin’s words, “have made a big difference on the battlefield”. Another thing is that destroying people and their homes, which is the direction American MLRSs are usually used in, bears little resemblance to the battlefield the Pentagon chief is talking about.
What is Austin so happy about, is it only the satisfaction of his bloodthirsty instincts? I don’t think so. The Pentagon has its own goals, and the Americans do not deliver the costly HIMARS systems because of altruistic motives and their confidence in Kiev’s victory. According to experts, the dubious generosity is explained by the desire to study the principles of Russian air defence systems, which are used in large numbers to protect populated areas. Accordingly, when HIMARS launches its salvos, U.S. satellites record in space the peculiarities of the Russian complexes’ response: how firing is carried out, how radar stations and command posts work.
And, apparently, it was for this opportunity that Austin thanked his partners in supplying Kiev with lethal weapons in a virtual meeting, specifically mentioning in his speech Britain, Poland and Germany, who help with the supply of long-range firearms. Western suppliers are also being thanked in Kyiv, but for a different reason. The Ukrainian authorities are not shy about expressing their gratitude for the fact that their country has been turned into a real testing ground for the novelties.
As Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov admitted, vehicles such as HEMTT LHS heavy trucks, AMPV armoured vehicles and EMAV unmanned vehicles, which are not yet even in service with the US army, are now being used against the Russian army. But while Ukraine traditionally serves as a guinea pig, the position of the local army is not improving.
Anna Ponomaryova, Analytical Service of Donbas