These images show Ukrainian forces striking Russian positions with American-manufactured HIMARS in occupied Melitopol, killing over 100 of the occupiers’ soldiers.
The footage, filmed at night, shows flashes of light traveling through the sky. The flashes of light were reportedly ordnance fired from HIMARS systems.
The images were obtained from the Chernihiv Regional Territorial Center Of Recruitment And Social Support on Monday, August 8, along with a statement saying: “At night, the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the points of temporary deployment of the Russians in Melitopol from HIMARS systems.”
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System – HIMARS – is a light multiple rocket launcher developed for the United States Army. The United States has already sent a number of these systems to Ukraine, with more said to be on the way.
They are said to be providing Ukraine with a considerable edge over the Russians as these devices have a much greater range than Ukrainian weaponry.
The Chernihiv Regional Territorial Center Of Recruitment And Social Support added: “The blows were inflicted on industrial sites in different areas of the city, where the occupiers were.
“According to preliminary estimates, it was possible to destroy a significant amount of military equipment and more than 100 Russian soldiers who were in temporary barracks that night.”
Zenger News contacted the Chernihiv Regional Territorial Center Of Recruitment And Social Support for further comment, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Monday marks the 166th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 8, Russia had lost about 42,340 personnel, 1,811 tanks, 4,070 armored combat vehicles, 960 artillery units, 261 multiple launch rocket systems, 132 air defense systems, 223 warplanes, 192 helicopters, 754 drones, 182 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,993 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 86 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukrainian and British military authorities have said that Russia is fortifying its positions and the number of its troops on the southern front in Ukraine, either in preparation of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive or preparing themselves to attack.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom said: “Russian troops are almost certainly amassing in the south, either waiting for a Ukrainian counteroffensive or preparing to attack. Long convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks, artillery and other things continue to move from the Donbas to the southwest.”
Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the repeated shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has called for new international sanctions on Russia, accusing it of “nuclear terror”.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has called for all military actions near the nuclear power plant to cease after it was hit by shelling on Saturday night. The shelling reportedly caused a reactor to shut down, creating a “very real risk of a nuclear disaster”.
The Ukrainian military has said that Russia shelled dozens of towns in eastern and southern Ukraine, along the front lines, on Saturday.
The Ukrainian military also said that Russian forces tried to carry out attacks in six different areas of the Donetsk region but did not manage to gain any territory after being successfully held back by Ukrainian troops.
President Zelensky on Sunday that negotiations with Russia would not be possible if it proceeds with carrying out ‘referendums’ in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Four more ships carrying grain and food left Black Sea ports in Ukraine on Sunday. The first grain ship exporting food from Ukraine under a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations reached Turkey on August 2 after setting out from Odesa.
Amnesty International has apologized for the “distress and anger” caused by a report that accused Ukraine of endangering civilians.
The move comes after the head of Amnesty Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk said that she was resigning because she was against the report being published, arguing that Amnesty International had “created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives of the invasion”.
Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor has said that the country is investigating nearly 26,000 cases of suspected Russian war crimes.
