Russia “hunts” for expensive weapons, putting pressure on Ukraine

Russian precision airstrikes

Over the past few weeks, Russian forces have repeatedly attacked the rear areas of the Ukrainian army, which is redeploying units, and destroyed railway junctions and bridges near the front line to disrupt Kiev’s logistics. This has caused many difficulties for Ukrainian forces, both at the front and in the rear.

Russia airstrikes, destroys Ukraine's strategic bridge. (Source: RT)

Last Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported an attack on two trains carrying military equipment at a railway station near the town of Barvenkovo, located near the border between the Kharkiv region and the self-proclaimed People’s Democratic Republic. As a result of the attack, two trains with at least 20 cars loaded with military equipment were destroyed.

Footage of the attack shows a ballistic missile hitting one train, with multiple fires breaking out after the impact. Shortly afterwards, another missile struck a second train.

According to Moscow’s estimates, up to 240 Ukrainian servicemen were killed or wounded in the attack, with more than 60 pieces of military equipment destroyed. Ten Canadian-made Roshel Senator armored personnel carriers and 14 US-made International MaxxPro mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles were destroyed.

Another video that has been gaining attention is a Russian missile attack on the bridge over the Oskol River in the town of Kupiansk-Uzlovoy in the Kharkiv region. The bridge has been attacked by the Russian military at least twice this year and has been repaired for Ukrainian military operations. The video shows that the bridge was likely hit by a Kh-38 air-to-surface missile. The explosion caused heavy damage.

Ukraine's HIMARS systems were destroyed by Russia one after another

Destroying the US-supplied HIMARS systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces has long been a priority for Moscow. On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of a HIMARS system in the village of Novopetrovka in Ukraine’s Nikolayev region. The system was spotted by a surveillance drone while being stored in a hangar and was then hit by a precision ballistic missile launched from an Iskander-M system. The strike destroyed the hangar, followed by a secondary explosion. Footage of the attack was captured by a Russian drone and shared publicly.

The US HIMARS rocket artillery system fires. Photo: rferl.org

The Russian Defense Ministry also reported the destruction of another HIMARS system on Friday. The HIMARS system, as well as other military equipment, was discovered hidden in an industrial zone in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kramatorsk in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Democratic Republic.

Video of the attack shared by the Russian military showed a large explosion, a column of fire and smoke rising. In addition to the HIMARS, five Soviet-era BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, five tanks and ten other armored vehicles were destroyed in the attack, according to Moscow's estimates.

Disrupting Kiev's electronic warfare capabilities

The Russian military continues to target Ukraine’s early warning and electronic warfare systems, including active jammers, radars, passive detectors, and other equipment. The constant hunt for these systems allows Russian forces to operate more effectively, making it difficult for Kiev forces to intercept or warn of an attack.

On Monday, a video was released to the media showing Russian fire destroying an AN/TPQ-50 artillery radar supplied to Ukraine by the US. According to RT, the system was spotted near the town of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, and was attacked by a Russian Lancet suicide drone.

Russian Lancet suicide drone attacks, destroys equipment of Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Source: RT)

Another video released last week showed a Lancet aircraft attacking a Ukrainian-made Plastun electronic warfare support station. The Plastun station was spotted in a wooded area with a nearby Starlink satellite station. After being detected, it was attacked by a suicide drone. Public images of the attack showed it was apparently destroyed.

A Ukrainian-made NOTA electronic jamming station was also targeted by a Lancet suicide drone. Video taken by the reconnaissance drone has been made public. The images show that the NOTA system was hidden in a wooded area, with only the antenna protruding above. The Lancet suicide drone directly attacked the target and a large fire broke out after the collision.

The Lancet suicide drone was developed by ZALA Aero, a subsidiary of Russian defense giant Kalashnikov Concern. The company produces two versions of the drone: the Izdeliye-52 with a 30-minute endurance and a one-kilogram warhead, and the larger Izdeliye-51 with a 40-minute endurance and a 3-kilogram warhead.

The Lancet drone will navigate to the designated area using an inertial navigation system supported by GLONASS. Once in the target area, the operator uses the onboard electro-optical system via a two-way data link to detect, track and lock on the target.

The laser rangefinder then controls the detonation of the warhead. Ukraine’s attempts to stop the Lancet drone with anti-aircraft fire, electronic warfare systems or other countermeasures have so far been unsuccessful.

HOA AN (According to RT)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nga-san-lung-khi-tai-dat-do-ap-luc-de-nang-len-ukraine-204240731084209721.htm