Ukrainian Troops Ramp Up Training To Use Advance Missile Systems

Ukrainian troops are reportedly just days away from finishing a crash course on operating M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which will help them attack targets inside the territory.

The systems are being handed over to Kyiv by the U.S. A senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday more specialized weapons will be sent once Ukrainian forces demonstrate their effective use in the fight against Russia. The move comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West to provide more weapons.

Colin Kahl, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, said the first four HIMARS systems promised to Ukraine, along with 227mm Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, will be supplied soon. Kahl said at the Center For A New American Security (CNAS) think tank's National Security Conference in Washington, D.C., that the weapons are the first of many that will be sent to Ukraine.

“We’re going to provide the Ukrainians what they need to prosecute the targets inside Ukrainian territory,” Kahl said, according to the Drive. “Because this is not a system the Ukrainians have, historically, they have to get trained on them. So we did provide an initial tranche of HIMARS systems and the Ukrainians are completing training as we speak. We expect those systems to get into the fight soon, and we're committed to continuing the flow of those munitions, and I know other allies and partners are too.”

Late last month, the U.S. had announced sending these advanced missile systems to Ukraine. However, Russia accused the U.S. of "adding fuel to the fire."

Russian President Vladimir Putin then warned the U.S. of striking new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems, Reuters reported.

Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles, since the war began on Feb. 24.

“The Russians have been making gains... although the gains are really on any given day measured in blocks,” Kahl said, while talking about the crisis in Ukraine. “They are not large sweeping breakthroughs of Ukrainian defenses. The Ukrainians remain stalwart defenders. There are significant casualties, but that is true on both sides. So the Ukrainians are definitely taking casualties. The Russians are taking a lot of casualties as well, and the front lines are not moving very much.”

The New York Times reported last week the Ukrainian military was running low on ammunition for its Soviet-era artillery, and was awaiting supplies from its allies to stop Russia's advancement in the country. Even though the West was reportedly sending in weapons, they were either arriving late or in insufficient numbers.