A think tank in the United States suggested on Tuesday that a recent military strike by Ukraine that targeted a Russian missile battery in Belgorod Oblast was done with an advanced weapons system provided by Washington.
NEW: Ukrainian forces struck a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in Belgorod Oblast likely w/ HIMARS on June 1 or 2.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) June 4, 2024
Ukrainian forces recently advanced within Vovchansk. Russian forces advanced near Lyptsi, Avdiivka, and Velyka Novoslika and in western Zaporizhia Obl..🧵 pic.twitter.com/WMconDj3aR
In a post on their X account, The Institute for the Study of War alleged that an attack on a S-300 air defense position, located 25 miles inside Russia, was done with a U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Using geolocated footage of an open area near Kiselyovo from June 3, the organization claimed that they located two destroyed launch sites and a damaged control center that were engaged “w/ HIMARS on June 1 or 2.”
If the incident is confirmed, it would represent the first report of such a class of weapon being used since the Biden administration approved the deployment of U.S.-supplied munitions for incursions outside of Ukraine.
The disclosure comes as Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk reportedly deleted a Monday post on Telegram that said, “It’s burning well. This is a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on the enemy’s territory.”
There was no reaction to Vereshchuk’s claim from Moscow, but Russian President Vladimir Putin warned NATO last week that there would be consequences for allowing Kiev to strike within his country’s borders.
