WATCH Ukrainian multiple rocket launchers destroyed in Kharkov

The Russian military has destroyed two Ukrainian Soviet-era Uragan multiple rocket launchers, footage that emerged online on Saturday shows. The launchers were parked near a local mall located on the northwestern outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Kharkov.

Infrared drone footage circulating on social media shows an Uragan launcher and a pickup truck parked overnight near the Planeta Mall with a group of people seen near the vehicles. The second Uragan joined the group shortly thereafter. The launchers were apparently set to be transported on two large flatbed trucks seen nearby.

However, the vehicles ended up being hit by a high-precision munition, presumably a Russian-made Iskander tactical ballistic missile. The launchers were set aflame by the strike, with one of them suffering a major secondary detonation, which heavily damaged the Planeta Mall. The moment of the detonation was captured on video by onlookers living in residential buildings nearby.

Separate video circulating online, apparently taken by first responders, shows police and emergency workers examining the site in the morning. The exploded Uragan left nothing but a large crater, while the other one and the pickup truck were completely burned out. The blast also damaged a gas station nearby, footage shows.

The local authorities acknowledged the strike, while local police released photos from the scene and condemned Russia’s “daily strikes” on the region. The police carefully avoided showing any evidence that the strike actually targeted the two rocket launchers, showing instead the damage inflicted on the mall and other structures. Ukrainian forces have throughout the conflict frequently made use of shopping malls, civilian warehouses, and other similar facilities for military purposes. 

Kiev’s forces have also routinely used Uragan launchers, as well as other multiple rocket launchers, including Czech-supplied Vampire systems, to indiscriminately shell Russia’s border regions, including the city of Belgorod. The Ukrainian military ramped up such strikes following its botched attempt to break through the border in mid-March.