Explosions ripped through at least a dozen Russian ammunition and weapons depots this weekend using American-made HIMARS artillery rockets, as needs grow for food and medicine in areas affected by the Kakhovka dam attack.
Ukrainian forces destroyed a “significant” ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in the southern region of Kherson, Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said on Sunday.
Ukraine said on Monday its forces had used U.S-supplied HIMARS rocket systems to destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots since receiving the weapons last month.
In comments on national television, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov underlined the growing impact that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are having as Ukraine tries to repel Russia’s invasion.
“Our armed forces dealt a good blow in the morning – and a very loud one – in the village of Rykove, Henichesk district, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region,” Bratchuk said in a morning video message on Sunday.
“There was a very significant ammunition depot. It was destroyed.”
Reuters could not independently verify the information. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the alleged attack.
Ukrainian media posted videos showing a vast plume of smoke rising far on the horizon with sounds of blasts.
Rykove is about 20km (12 miles) from Henichesk, a port city along the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Kremlin forces since the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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