Ukraine’s defense minister says it has ‘passed tests’ on new US guided rockets, more needed

“We also need to refresh our platoon and replace and replace them because we also have a lot of losses,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We are waiting for more armor, more weapons from our allies. We need to rebuild some directions and refresh our fortifications and plan a new operational strategy. ,

He said the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, long-range launchers known as Hymers, have been a “game-changer”, enabling Ukraine to target Russian forces in the northeastern city of Izium, But said: “The war is serious. .. we need more. We need it quickly.”

After some initial hesitation over concerns the system could be used by Ukrainian forces against Russian territory, reluctantly pulling the US into the fight, Washington said it would initially send four Himars to Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces. will be trained to use them. These advanced systems are mobile launchers capable of hitting targets from a maximum range of about 60 kilometers to about 500 kilometers depending on the type of ammunition used.

Russian officials have sharply criticized the US decision to supply Hymers, saying Washington is adding fuel to the fire and threatening if the system is used to target Russian territory.

Ukrainian and US officials said Ukraine had also used US-supplied Harpoon missiles to take out a Russian supply ship on the Black Sea – a key to their capability. Recapturing Strategic Snake Island,

“We needed to persuade them, to show them the evidence,” said Mr. Reznikov. “In the Iseum case, we were accurate” [in targeting] A Russian command center for air operations. It was really accurate. Our comrades saw it and said, ‘You have passed the exam.'”

Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbass region have been overrun and captured by Russian forces, which have made incremental progress in capturing the area in recent weeks. Ukraine is pressuring its allies to provide long-range missiles that can be used with HIMR, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, which have a range of up to 300 km. Washington so far does not agree.

“The Russians are using their MLRS, which can go up to 120 kilometres,” Mr. Reznikov said, referring to the Russian-made multi-launch rocket system. “So we need to do something longer: 150 [kilometers], We’ll get there.”

In addition to long-range weapons, Mr. Reznikov’s wish list is to have more armed vehicles, including tanks, as well as more unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, especially as Ukraine accelerates naval operations to fight Russian ships stationed in the Black Sea. who are currently responsible for stopping the blockade Ukraine’s vital grain supply By reaching the global market.

He said drones, including those sent by the US and other partners, are constantly being jammed by Russia and do not have the necessary counter-jamming software to gain the upper hand.

This month, the Pentagon announced $820 million in new military aid to Ukraine Including advanced mid-to-long-range air-defense systems and counter-artillery radar to respond to Russia’s heavy use of long-range attacks in combat. Mr Reznikov described the nationally advanced surface-to-air missile system being sent by the US, which can hit targets at ranges of 160 km, as Ukraine’s “next Easter cake”.

However, since Nasams batteries can only cover a city or an object, Mr. Renizhkov said it would be important to combine them with alternative modern air-defense systems pledged by other Western partners.

He noted that short-range missiles that were once critical to combat – such as the US-made FGM-148 Javelin missile system, the British-made NLAW or the MILAN-2 antitank system from France and Italy were still needed, but longer ranges. Given the changing nature of the conflict, artillery warfare was “no longer a priority”.

Mr Reznikov said Russia appears to be taking an “operational break” in its offensive in the Donbass, made up of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, to regroup and resupply supplies. He added that this does not necessarily present an opportunity for Ukrainian forces, which need rest and need to swap and resupply fighting units.

On Saturday night, Russian forces destroyed an apartment building in Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, a strike that killed 15 people and injured five, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. The Russian Defense Ministry said in its evening update on Saturday that its forces attacked an arms depot in the city.

Elsewhere, after Russian missiles struck a temporary housing used by the Ukrainian military near the village of Konstantinovka, part of a five-story brick building collapsed where rescuers spent the day digging for survivors. Local officials said at least 15 people were confirmed dead and 24 others were still buried under the rubble.

Luhansk regional governor Serhi Haidai said this week that the recently occupied cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk were still in panic, with thousands of civilians now living under Russian occupation. He said more than 300,000 people have left the Luhansk region alone.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region on Sunday, Russian forces fired rockets at Osnoviansk and Slobodsky districts, destroying a school and targeting several residential buildings. On his official Telegram channel, the region’s governor, Ole Sinyehubov, said shelling was also continuing in the cities of Izyum, Bogodukhov, Chuguev and Kharkiv.

Mr. Sinyehubov appealed to residents to be vigilant, noting that Kharkiv’s “neighbor,” Russia, is firing indiscriminately on the region.

Mr. Reznikov described the fighting in Kharkiv as a problem for Ukraine, adding that its location along the border enabled Russian forces to fire long-range systems over the area from Russian soil, often civilian. and at the expense of residential areas.

“It’s a problem,” he said. “Our antimissile systems can fight their ballistic and cruise missiles – it’s not 100% but we can get them. But we can’t close the skies against their MLRS.

—Yulia Chernova and Alan Cullison contributed to this article.

write to Vivian Salama and vivian.salama@wsj.com