WATCH Russian military strike on US-supplied HIMARS launchers in Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry has released drone footage of missile strikes on HIMARS launchers supplied to Ukraine by the US. Earlier on Thursday, the ministry said two launchers had been destroyed in the past 24 hours.

The multiple rocket launcher systems were spotted by a surveillance drone while heading for a wooded area, the ministry said.

The location appears to be close to some new Ukrainian defensive positions, with freshly dug trenches visible near the road.

The HIMARS launchers were tracked to their positions in the woods, and both were targeted using high-precision munitions. The military said both launchers had been destroyed in the strikes.

While the Defense Ministry did not provide any further information on the strikes, media reports claimed that the two launchers had been detected in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, which has for months been a key staging area for indiscriminate attacks on Russian border regions, such as Belgorod and Kursk.

The launchers were reportedly hit by projectiles of different types. One was likely targeted using an Iskander tactical ballistic missile, and the second one with a guided projectile fired by a Tornado-S. The latter multiple rocket launcher system, widely regarded as a Russian analogue of US-made HIMARS, has been used more widely in the past few months.