Ukraine announced Monday that it has received new multiple launch rocket systems from the United States and Germany, bolstering its long-range artillery arsenal that Kyiv says is changing the dynamics on the battlefield.
Four new US HIMARS rocket launchers and the first of a batch of German MARS II have arrived in Ukraine, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Twitter.
He thanked his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, on behalf of the Ukrainian gunners who “greet our German partners.”
“This Summer’s Big Hit”
Reacting to the latest deliveries from Washington, Oleksii Reznikov said he was “grateful” to President Joe Biden and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin for having “strengthened” the Ukrainian military.
“We have proven to be smart operators of these weapons. The sound of the HIMARS barrage has become the biggest hit this summer on the front lines,” he added.
MARS II, supplied by Germany, is the third advanced rocket launch system supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies along with HIMARS and MLRS M270. The United States has so far delivered about twenty HIMARS systems to Ukraine as part of its program to help the Ukrainian military against the Russian invasion.
The United States refuses to hand over long-range rocket launchers
Minister Reznikov asked Washington last month to send more systems, saying they had been used to destroy some 30 Russian command posts and ammunition depots.
According to him, Ukraine needs at least 100 of these systems for an effective counteroffensive against Moscow troops. Washington praised the “excellent” use of HIMARS by the Ukrainian military.
But the administration of President Joe Biden has so far refused to deliver long-range rocket launch systems to Ukraine that could reach Russia, despite repeated requests from Kyiv for such weapons.
Source: BFM TV
