DONETSK, July 26. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military shelled the oil depot in the Budyonnovsky district in Donetsk from US-made HIMARS rocket systems at night, a military expert at the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) mission to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center said on Tuesday.
"Military experts of the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center confirmed the bombardment of the Budyonnovsky district by the Ukrainian military. In particular, the enemy launched US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems," Sergey Pereverzev said.
A large fire broke out at the oil depot in the Budyonnovsky district of Donetsk overnight to Tuesday, which was shelled by the Ukrainian military. According to the data of the DPR Emergencies Ministry, six containers with fuel went ablaze after an explosive struck them. The fire was subsequently put out.
The US administration announced on June 1 that it would provide a new $700 million military aid package to Ukraine that would include HIMARS and ammunition.
The M142 HIMARS is a highly mobile multiple launch rocket system developed by the US-based Lockheed Martin. The launcher with six tubes of 227mm rockets or one ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) ballistic missile is mounted on a five-tonne six-wheel chassis of FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle) transporters.
The launcher fires over 20 types of munitions with a strike range of 30 km to 80 km (for rockets) and 300 km and more (for a tactical missile). The system has been accepted for service in some countries, including the United States, Singapore, the UAE, Canada, Poland, Romania and Jordan.