The White House on Wednesday said it could not confirm Russian reports of United States-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, destroyed in Ukraine.
“On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a progress report that missile strikes and airstrikes launched in eastern Ukraine destroyed ‘two launching ramps for U.S.-manufactured HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems [MLRS]’.
But on Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, during a call with reporters, said the Department of Defense couldn't confirm Russia's claims.
‘I've seen Russian claims that they hit a HIMAR system’, Kirby said, ‘and in response to this, we have no information to confirm that report’.
Euan MacDonald, editor-at-large of New Voice of Ukraine, reported that Ukraine's military had wrapped one of the HIMARS in bright yellow lights at night, which ostensibly would make it an easy target.
The Pentagon press secretary suggested it is part of President Vladimir Putin's disinformation campaign aimed at painting Russia's 10-month assault on Ukraine as a defensive operation to buffer NATO from its borders.
‘Let's be just real crystal clear here’, Kirby continued, ‘this is a war by Russia on Ukraine’.
‘And Mr. Putin can claim all he wants that this is some sort of fight against the West; it's existential for his security; it's the U.S. versus Russia; it's NATO versus Russia — we all know that's a bunch of B.S. Russia is the one who's visited violence on the Ukrainian people at a scale that is quite historic and unprecedented’”. -Nick Koutsobinas, Newsmax
It’s unlikely that NATO will accomplish anything meaningful in a strategic sense by launching these HIMARS attacks against the Russians.
And, since there is no way that these minor NATO strikes could delay the Russian offensive, their only possible goal would be to try to provoke the Russians into a premature attack date before Ukraine loses what remains of its support from Europe and the United States.
Alternatively, it’s also a possibility that NATO is hoping to convince Russia to begin its winter offensive on its own, rather than waiting for what could be a concerted effort with the rest of the member states of the BRICS alliance.