Russian forces appeared to redouble their efforts this week to neutralize Ukraine’s U.S.-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket) systems, following a massive New Year’s Eve artillery strike that killed scores of Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region.
Within the previous 24 hours, combined Russian artillery and air power “detected and destroyed” two HIMARS batteries in Ukrainian-held parts of northern Donetsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Jan. 3.
In its daily briefing, the ministry said that the targeted missile batteries had been used “for shelling settlements” in the Donetsk region. It added that three M-777 artillery systems also have been destroyed by Russian strikes near Donetsk’s flashpoint city of Bakhmut, which remains the scene of fierce ground fighting.
On the same day, a defense ministry spokesman told Russia’s TASS news agency that 130 “foreign mercenaries” had been killed by Russian strikes near the city of Kramatorsk in northern Donetsk.
Strike Left Scores Dead
The reported uptick in what the Kremlin calls “counterbattery warfare” follows three days after a Ukrainian artillery strike killed scores of Russian soldiers in the city of Makiivka.Makiivka is located adjacent to Donetsk city, the provincial capital of the region of the same name.
Ukrainian military officials initially claimed that the strike, which occurred in the opening minutes of the new year, had left “hundreds” of Russian troops dead.
The Russian Defense Ministry, however, has since put the number of slain troops at 63, making it one of the deadliest single blows to the Russian military since the conflict began more than 10 months ago.
In a statement released on Jan. 2, the ministry said the Ukrainian strike had targeted Russian units deployed near Makiivka.
The strike, it added, was carried out with the use of HIMARS batteries, which fire multiple GPS-guided munitions tipped with 200-pound warheads.
As of late November 2022, it was estimated that the United States had provided Ukraine with more than 5,000 HIMARS rockets to date.
The deadly barrage in Makiivka has reportedly drawn criticism from prominent Russian commentators, who have questioned the military’s decision to house troops in areas within range of Ukrainian artillery.
Some Russian lawmakers have also reportedly called for an official investigation into the incident.
Yet, despite the latest Russian countermeasures, Ukrainian forces have continued to strike positions in Donetsk.
On Jan. 3, Moscow-appointed officials in Donetsk said Ukrainian forces were still bombarding several of the region’s residential areas, including both Makiivka and Donetsk city.
In September 2022, Moscow formally incorporated Donetsk—along with the neighboring regions of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—into the Russian Federation.
Moscow now views all four territories as sovereign Russian territory.
Kyiv Claims Gains in Luhansk
Ground fighting, meanwhile, continues in several flashpoint areas along the roughly 680-mile-long frontline, especially in Donetsk and Luhansk.The two regions comprise the Russian-speaking Donbas region, which remains the primary focus of Moscow’s ongoing “special military operation” in Ukraine.
On Jan. 2, Serhiy Haidai, Luhansk’s Kyiv-appointed governor, said Ukrainian forces were “steadily advancing” on the region’s Russian-held towns of Svatove and Kreminna.
In televised comments, he repeated Ukrainian claims that Russian forces were rapidly exhausting their supply of artillery rounds. Russian forces, Haidai said, “are used to having a complete advantage in both artillery and shells.”
“Now, we have reached parity, and our artillerymen are shooting better [and] hitting more ammunition depots and barracks while firing far fewer shots.”
The Epoch Times was unable to verify his assertions.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have continued to carry out almost-daily drone and artillery strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities. According to Ukrainian officials, at least half of the country’s total energy infrastructure has been degraded by repeated barrages, which first began in mid-October 2022.
Kyiv and its Western allies say the strikes are meant to hurt Ukraine’s civilian population and should therefore be viewed as “war crimes.”
Moscow says its forces use high-precision munitions to avoid civilian casualties, and that the ongoing strikes on energy infrastructure serve a military purpose.
