Ukrainian Defense Forces defeat enemy S-300/400 battery near Belgorod: ISW points out the significance of the strike. Photos and video

On June 1 or 2, the Ukrainian Defense Forces defeated a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region of Russia. Propagandists immediately claimed that the equipment was struck using the American M142 HIMARS rocket artillery system.

This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The analysts noted that in the Russians' mind, any Ukrainian strike on legitimate enemy military targets would be a "HIMARS strike."

The report refers to geolocation images of burning Russian equipment published on social media on June 3. They show two destroyed launchers and a damaged command post of the Russian S-300/400 air defense system. It is noted that the damage occurred in a field east of Kiselev (north of Belgorod).

Russian sources have widely speculated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used US-supplied HIMARS systems for the strike. However, Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on this "pop" on Russian territory.

According to analysts, the Russian S-300/400 was located about 60 kilometers from the current front line on the north of Kharkiv region and more than 80 kilometers from Kharkiv itself.

"This is within the range of HIMARS, but exceeds the range of other MLRS systems reportedly used by Ukrainian forces to hit the Belgorod region of Russia," ISW said.

They also emphasized that propagandists have recently been increasingly claiming that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are using HIMARS to strike the Belgorod region of Russia. They draw these conclusions because the United States has partially lifted restrictions on Ukraine's ability to use Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets in Russia's border regions with Kharkiv Oblast.

"But Russian sources are likely to continue to characterize any successful strike in the Belgorod region as a HIMARS strike, regardless of the system used," ISW experts pointed out.

Ukrainian analysts have suggested that the system was deployed near Belgorod and was intended to shoot down large Ukrainian air targets. Therefore, its destruction weakens Russia's air defense capabilities, which will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more effectively hit enemy targets.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, soldiers of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, Malibu, and Wings to Hell units of the 103rd Separate Tank Brigade defeated a convoy of 18 occupiers' trucks in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. It was targeted by FPV drones: some enemy vehicles "escaped", the rest were destroyed.

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