DRAMATIC footage appears to show the US-made HIMARS missile blasting key military targets inside Russia for the first time.
The video seemingly shows the aftermath of the strike, presumably in the Belgorod region, that reportedly destroyed up to three of Moscow’s S-300 rockets.
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Russian sources claim that Ukrainian forces have used the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) to hit Belgorod.
The $100m air defence system has been used to pummel Kharkiv for weeks with Putin’s troops striking multiple civilian targets.
The long-range missile strike happened over the weekend, and footage shows significant damage to the Russian weapons system.
The state-of-the-art missile launch system is designed to avoid detection and enables Moscow to strike targets miles away from the frontlines.
If the strike is confirmed, it would be the first time since Washington gave Ukraine the green light to use American weapons to hit back at Russia, triggering a major escalation in the war.
US sources confirmed that Joe Biden secretly lifted a ban on Ukraine‘s use of American weapons for “counter-fire purposes” on their aggressors.
Until now, the US limited the use of its missiles to Russian-invaded regions of Ukraine.
In response to The Sun’s query about the strike, the US Defence did not deny the Ukrainian hit was done with US – supplied weapons.
A spokesperson said: “The President recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them.
“Our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed.”
Experts say his decision could escalate Russia‘s cross-border Kharkiv offensive with Moscow’s officials warning the US of “mistakes that may have fatal consequences.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday the United States could face “fatal consequences” if it ignored Moscow’s warnings.
While Pro-Kremlin reporter Evgeniy Poddubny said: “The enemy has begun using Western-made weapon systems to attack ‘old’ Russian territory.”
Fighting in the area continues as Kharkiv keeps resisting Russian troops with residents vowing “We will stay here, no matter what.”
The army general staff Kyiv today claimed that Russia suffered 1,270 casualties in the past 24 hours – one of the highest casualty tolls of the war.
In the Kursk region, a Russian military convoy was hit repeatedly in a Ukrainian kamikaze drone ambush.
Aerial footage shows how the military column dispersed after the first hits but Ukrainian drones went after the military vehicles picking them off one by one in a major FPV attack.
The column included conscripts – Putin’s youngest soldiers, some aged 18 and 19 – according to Russian sources.
In a separate attack, the turret of a Russian T-80BV – weighing up to 18 tons – flew high into the air from the force of a fireball explosion after a strike by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone.
The cannon fodder strategy of the Russian army was highlighted by a contract soldier fighting in Vovchansk, who revealed that in his company of 100, only 12 of his comrades remained alive and not wounded.
In a biting video attack on the Kremlin’s military strategy seeking to capture this insignificant town, he made clear he fears he faces death or maiming with the ‘forward, forward, forward’ strategy of his commanders who “sit in Moscow” and “don’t ****ing care” about the losses of men.
The soldiers were “complete meat”, he said.
He did not know whether in Russian military parlance he would become Cargo 200 – dead – or Cargo 300, wounded.
He said: “We arrived in Vovchansk, and the first night somehow turned out more or less normal.
“We occupied one street, and then this heat began…
“[We were] under machine guns, especially drones that [strike] such a large number of personnel.
“And a command over the radio keeps shouting: ‘Forward, forward, forward, forward!’
“You can’t go back….Of 100 people, only 12 of our company remained [the rest were killed or wounded].
“It turns out they simply chop us up, and that’s it.”
They were “sent under machine guns and drones during daylight hours.
“Just complete meat. Just forward, forward, forward, forward.
“So I don’t know if I’ll go any further or not. I’ll stay, I won’t stay?
“Whether I’ll be a 300 [wounded], a 200 [killed], I don’t know.
“Well, I understand that our commanders, [with callsigns Senya or Financier] are just given orders from above.
“And who sits in Moscow, they don’t ****ing care. Here we go….”
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