MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Western instructors are helping Ukrainian troops to use HIMARS multiple rocket launchers against critical infrastructure facilities in liberated territories, Andrey Marochko, an officer of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), said on Monday.

"As for instructors, I can say that this is verified information from three different sources. <…> Indeed, all HIMARS systems are backed by Western instructors, not only American, probably, from other NATO countries. At least, these instructors are English speakers," he said in an interview with Russia’s TV Channel One.

"The targets are critically important civil facilities," he said.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on July 14 that the United States had shared intelligence data with Kiev and seconded instructors to Ukraine to direct strikes from HIMARS systems at Donbass residents.

The LPR’s mission to the Joint Control and Coordination Center said earlier that on July 12 Ukrainian troops had fired nine HIMARS rockets at Lugansk from their positions near Artemovsk. According to LPR Ambassador to Russia Rodion Miroshnik, most of the rockets were downed.

The United States said on June 1 it was allocating another package of military assistance worth 700 million US dollars to Ukraine. The package included HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems and munitions to them.