Video Shows Tungsten Steel HIMARS Bomblets Obliterate Russian Training Camp

Aug 09, 2023

Ukraine has released footage that it claims shows Russian troops at a training camp being targeted by a U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

The 94-second video from Ukraine's National Resistance Center consists of drone footage of the strike, along with captions in Ukrainian describing what is happening. It was shared on Reddit with the headline: "Russian army shooting range got hit with a HIMARS M30A1 tungsten fragments."

The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with 38 HIMARS and the ammunition for them, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Since it started using the weapons in June 2022, Ukraine has shared footage of its forces using the systems to target Russian positions.

In the first sequence, troops can be seen on the ground in an open area and the caption reads, according to a translation, "the invaders have moved forward to conduct shooting exercises."

In the following frames, a classroom next to two smaller buildings can be seen with military vehicles parked outside and the footage segues into troops walking around. "A training class. 18 potential targets for Himars," the caption says.

The drone filming the scene was hit, "which was why the moment of impact could not be recorded," the caption said. The video then dissolved into the aftermath of what appears to be a strike, with smoke billowing into the air.

"Eight enemies destroyed four injured," the video's caption said. A car then approaches the scene. "The rest of the invaders drove a car to escape from the scene of destruction," the caption said, describing how survivors tried to hide in the classroom "but you can't escape from HIMARS."

The next frame shows the classroom being hit and the subsequent smoke billowing into the air.

"Thank you to everyone who reports information about the enemy," reads the final caption, suggesting that the strike was thanks to a tip-off.

No location was given for the unverified footage, and Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.

The U.S. announced this week it would provide Ukraine with additional munitions for HIMARS as part of a $200 million security package that includes Patriot missiles and mine-clearing equipment.

It comes as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive to recapture occupied Russian territory, which started around June 4. Ukraine's forces have advanced in Zaporizhzhia, northeast of Robotyne, and made gains in the surrounding areas, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.

Kyiv also touted the recapture of Urozhaine in the Donetsk Oblast, giving a boost to Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky amid concerns that his forces' push has been progressing too slowly.