- Ukraine has claimed that it launched a deadly HIMARS strike on five Russian units assembled on a beach.
- Insider reports that two experts believe Russia misjudged the proximity of its soldiers to Ukrainian HIMARS.
- One said: “Lesson from the Russians, your adversary’s clever.” “Don’t reduce your range calculations to closely.”
The Russian units Targeted in an HIMARS attack by the UkrainiansInsider cited experts who said that the group violated a wartime rule this week: Do not gather in large, open spaces.
Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had launched a HIMARS strike on five Russian units gathered at a beach, resulting in 200 casualties as well as destroyed equipment. Insider couldn’t independently confirm how many soldiers were killed.
Ukrainian Media outletsThe strike was reported to have taken place on Dzharylhach Island, a 26 mile sandbank located in the Black Sea in the Russian-occupied Kherson Region. Recently, the country set up training grounds on the island for active military units. The Institute for the Study of War.
The National Resistance Center of Ukraine, which is under the control of the Ukrainian Army’s, has posted drone footage on FacebookThe picture shows Russian soldiers standing on the beach, stretching their legs and preparing to strike with HIMARS munitions.
Simon Miles is an assistant professor of Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and a historian of Soviet Union and US/Soviet relations.
Miles said to Insider: “I don’t think the Russian military felt they were so far away that it was a sanctuary. It wasn’t the case.”
Mark Cancian said that Dzharylhach Island is about 40 miles away from the closest frontline. He’s a retired US Marine Corps Colonel and senior advisor for Center for Strategic and International Studies’ security program.
American-made HIMARS is the acronym for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.The advanced missile launcher is mounted on a truck. It can fire missiles as far as 50 miles. Cancian stated that weapons systems usually sit behind the front lines themselves, giving Russia a false sense security on Dzharylhach.
He said that the Ukrianians had either brought a HIMARS close to them or found a way of putting it on an Island or barge so it was within range.
Miles notes that the Russian training grounds at Dzharylhach island appear to have been established relatively recently and it takes time for military leaders to establish perimeters and safeguard a new facility — a challenge likely made even more difficult by Russia’s manpower crisis is getting worse
He said: “In a time when anyone with a phone can take a photo and post it to Telegram, this poses a serious threat to operational security.”
The Ukrainian National Resistance Center claimed that intelligence from local sources was instrumental in the strike.
According to experts, the Russians are still complacent in their attack. Ukraine has used HIMARS to destroy high-valued targets well beyond the frontlines for several months. Miles stated that Russia knew the range of HIMARS and could have reasonably predicted the units’ proximity to the system.
Cancian said to Insider: “Lesson to the Russians, your adversary is smart.” “Don’t reduce your range calculations to closely.”
This attack came just weeks after media reports suggested Ukraine carried out a similar strike. In June, an official from Ukraine confirmed that a Russian military blog had reported the same thing. Russian soldiers hit by Ukrainian HIMARS after standing still for 2 hoursThey are a sitting duck for the commander’s address.
Screenshot/National Resistance Center
Miles blamed the repeat mistakes on the top-down method of information dissemination in Russia.
“At an elementary tactical level, we are able to see the Russian military learns from mistakes,” Miles said. “But it is one thing to be able to understand the basic concepts and another to share that knowledge with a large force located in different parts of the world.”
He said that many key logistical decisions were being taken by people who were far away from the frontlines of the conflict in Moscow, and they did not have timely or accurate information on what was happening on the ground.
Miles stated that the strike, regardless of who called for the soldiers to remain in open areas and within range of Ukrainian HIMARS radar, is likely to worsen the already low morale of Russian soldiers. This includes those who believed they were enjoying a relative period of respite on Dzharylhach Island.
Miles explained that Ukraine is denying Russian soldiers at Russian training grounds the opportunity to train, rest and refresh themselves. “This will have a lot of macro-effects in the future.”
