The United States has announced they will send additional high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine.

a HIMARS weapon system

In a statement, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Ukrainians have been using HIMARS “so effectively and which have made such a difference on the battlefield.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

The secretary continued by saying, “We will keep finding innovative ways to sustain our long-term support for the brave men and women of the Ukrainian armed forces and we will tailor our assistance to ensure that Ukraine has the technology, the ammunition and the sheer firepower to defend itself.”

The additional HIMARS being transferred to Ukraine come as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered military generals to destroy long-range missile systems supplied by the US & other NATO countries. Last week, Russia claimed to have destroyed a HIMARS system valued at  $500 million.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Russian media outlets have also backed the Russian governments claims. In a publication, one Russian news outlet wrote “The Armed Forces of Ukraine [VSU] lost four HIMARS MLRS combat vehicles from their first delivery to Ukraine. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Federation took them less than a month to destroy the most important part of the delivered weapons and military equipment.”

It should be noted that Ukraine has not confirmed or denied the destruction of HIMARS systems.