The Ukrainian Artillery engaged the Charnobiyevka airfield near Kherson on 2nd July, for the 23rd time in a row. Reportedly, 12 Russian officers were killed there, including one General, Daily Telegraph reports. The most important piece of news is that the engagement involved the US-made HIMARS system – the air defence assets protecting the airfield were helpless here.
According to the available reports, the Russians have been unable to shoot down even a single rocket launched by the quite active Ukrainian HIMARS systems. The rumors suggest that the Kremlin authorities have been furious, as the S-400 turned out to be ineffective against the US-made rocket artillery system – probably that ineffectiveness also extends to other systems of this kind.
The Ukrainian sources suggest that the scandal regarding these circumstances has reached the Kremlin. The rumors include claims that Putin himself is furious about that, but considering the losses that the Russian forces experience, trying to defend themselves with reportedly lethal systems, any furiousness like so seems to be understandable. Although the S-400 has been designed to act against fixed- and rotary-winged assets, ballistic, and cruise missiles, the manufacturer also claims that this SAM system would also be effective when counteracting rocket artillery assets, such as HIMARS.