“Act harder”: how the supply of missiles for HIMARS to Kyiv with a range of up to 300 km can affect the course of the special operation

Part of the missiles for the American multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) HIMARS with a range of up to 300 km has already been delivered to Ukraine.

This was stated by the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.

“Part of these missiles (with a range of up to 300 km.

) have already been delivered to the territory of Ukraine.

Also, the allied forces are making attempts to destroy these weapons, ”Pushilin said on Channel One.

Earlier, Pushilin did not rule out that in the case of the supply of long-range American weapons to Kyiv, the Armed Forces of Ukraine would have to move 300 km away from the settlements of the DPR.

Recall that the United States supplied Kyiv with 16 HIMARS MLRS, as well as hundreds of GMLRS high-precision missiles with a range of about 70 km.

The US administration has repeatedly noted that the Ukrainian authorities allegedly promised not to use HIMARS against targets in Russia.

As emphasized by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, such assurances from Kyiv "are worthless" and cannot be trusted.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation regularly reports the destruction of ammunition depots for HIMARS.

So, on August 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liquidation of another warehouse of such missiles in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

“A large ammunition depot of the 44th artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with missiles for US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems was destroyed with a high-precision ground-based weapon in the area of ​​​​the settlement of Preobrazhenka, Dnepropetrovsk region,” the report says.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the elimination of a number of HIMARS installations.

"Use means of destruction"

It is worth noting that shortly before the statement by the head of the DPR about the arrival of missiles for HIMARS with a range of up to 300 km to Ukraine, retired American Brigadier General Mark Arnold called on the United States and NATO to provide Kyiv with weapons and permission to carry out attacks deep into Russia.

The military called a strategic mistake the West's demand in relation to Ukraine not to use the weapons received from the allies against Moscow.

“The United States and allies must provide Ukraine with weapons that can strike at Russian territory.

I'm not talking about Crimea.

The United States and NATO say - do not strike at the territory of Russia, but this is stupidity, - Arnold said in an interview with Channel 24.

- To do this (attack the Russian Federation.

), NATO needs to change its policy and abandon the theses on a ban on strikes on Russian territories - you need to give Ukraine a weapon that could destroy the Russians in their own. "

Russia has repeatedly stated that strikes on its territory would be fraught with an immediate response.

So, in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would draw the appropriate conclusions if long-range missiles were supplied to Kyiv.

“If they (missiles.

) are delivered, we will draw appropriate conclusions from this and use our weapons, which we have enough to strike at those objects that we have not yet struck,” said the Russian leader in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin for the Moscow.

Kremlin.

Putin."

• Russian military during a special operation in Ukraine

• RIA News

Later, in July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that as the West, in "impotent rage" and the desire to make the situation as aggravated as possible, "pumps" Ukraine with more and more long-range weapons, the geographical tasks of the NWO will "move even further from the current line" .

“We cannot allow the part of Ukraine that Volodymyr Zelensky (or whoever replaces him) will control to have weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and to the republics that have declared their independence and want to determine their own future,” Lavrov emphasized in an interview with Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the RT television channel and the Rossiya Segodnya media group.

However, Kyiv continues to console itself with the idea that it will be able to strike at the territory of Russia.

In particular, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, made it clear in an August interview with The Guardian that the Ukrainian side considers the Crimean bridge a “legitimate military target.”

In his opinion, this object should be destroyed.

Later, he wrote on Twitter that the transfer of 50 American HIMARS to Kyiv would change the course of the Russian special operation.

However, the United States does not yet intend to supply Ukraine with more such MLRS.

The Pentagon's latest military aid package to Kyiv, worth about $2.98 billion, did not include these multiple launch rocket systems.

As the US Department of Defense noted then, since January 2021, the United States has allocated more than $13.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including about $12.9 billion since the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

At the same time, the Pentagon called the supply of GMLRS missiles for the HIMARS MLRS to Ukraine a priority.

"Get the job done"

As noted by the expert of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis Nikolai Kostikin, the more long-range weapons the West transfers to Kyiv, the further the allied forces of the LDNR and the Russian Federation will “push the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

“And the less Kyiv will like the final results of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, in particular the volume of controlled territories.

Indeed, if the RF Armed Forces note the use of HIMARS at a distance of about 300 km, the task will be to move not only from the borders of the republics of Donbass, but also from the borders of Russia, the zone of control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at least this distance, ”said Kostikin.

In his opinion, with the advent of autumn, it will be much easier to detect and destroy the HIMARS MLRS, including those with a range of up to 300 km.

“While it is easier to disguise these multiple launch rocket systems, they are hidden in the forests.

But when the foliage begins to fly around, it will be much easier to eliminate the American HIMARS of the RF Armed Forces: then the Russian military will probably finish the job - they will destroy the remaining MLRS, ”the analyst predicted.

Kostikin also noted that the United States and its allies have already been noticed in the fact that they do not announce the sending of certain types of weapons to Ukraine, and therefore Pushilin's statement, as he believes, "was not a big surprise."

“As they say, in war all means are good, including the way of deception, which Washington and Kyiv use with enviable regularity.

This indicates the weakness of the United States and the Kyiv leadership, which are forced to hush up this kind of information, ”the expert said.

According to Kostikin, if the facts of the use of missiles for the HIMARS MLRS with a range of up to 300 km across the territory of Donbass or Russia are noted, the Russian Federation will be forced to "act more harshly."

“The Russian Armed Forces have weapons of this type for this, in particular intercontinental ballistic missiles,” he said.

A similar opinion is shared by military expert Alexei Leonkov.

According to him, if the Kyiv authorities suddenly dare to openly encroach on the security of Russian territory at the expense of missiles for the HIMARS MLRS with a range of up to 300 km, Russia "will immediately respond to this."

“Strikes will be made on the center of decision-making, which are outside the territory of Ukraine - in the West.

In this regard, I do not think that Western curators will give Kyiv the go-ahead for such an adventure, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

• Pentagon

• AP

• © Patrick Semansky

Leonkov also commented on the words of a retired US brigadier general who called for Kyiv to be given weapons and permission to carry out attacks deep into Russia.

The expert believes that in this way Arnold is “trying to hype” on the Ukrainian topic.

“The opinion of this retired American general is unlikely to be something fundamental to Washington's decision-making, given that the recommendations of entire institutions that conduct research on similar issues are often ignored in the White House.

But even if Washington decided to act according to such a scheme, this would turn into the beginning of a larger-scale conflict than the one that is currently going on in Ukraine, with all the ensuing consequences, ”the expert stated.

Leonkov also noted that, despite the publicity of the American HIMARS, it cannot be said that their use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Ukraine has a significant impact on the conduct of Russia's special operation and the fulfillment of its tasks.

“Even if the Armed Forces of Ukraine start using missiles for these MLRS with a range of up to 300 km, this will be immediately tracked by the Russian Armed Forces.

Russia will act on the basis of what will be the results of the use of these weapons.

If these strikes are intercepted by air defense systems, then the West, and primarily the United States, will be given the last Russian warning.

If the attacks cause significant damage, the Russian Federation will take tougher measures against the curators of Kyiv in the West.

In any case, the delivery of such weapons is a bad decision for the United States and its allies, ”the analyst concluded.