Russia has been hunting for HIMARS for over a year, but has not hit a single system – Ukraine’s defense ministry

Maliar shared the statement on her Telegram channel.

"Our congratulations on Independence Day to the American people! Thank you for your continued support, which helps us to fight for our freedom, destroy the enemy and defend our common values," the deputy minister wrote.

Maliar said she considers the HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to be one of the strongest expressions of support provided by the United States to Ukraine.

"Frightened and feeling the first huge losses, Russian occupiers started hunting for HIMARS. But they have not hit any yet. With a maximum speed of 85 km/h, HIMARS can deploy, fire and leave its position in less than 1 minute. This allows it to be used for shoot-and-scoot tactics, which significantly reduces the chances of being detected and hit by the enemy," Maliar said.

The official recalled cases of the use of these systems, such as the destruction of the Russian base in the village of Pravi Sagy near Oleshky in Kherson region and a precision strike on 1 January 2023 on the building of a vocational school in Makiivka, when, according to various sources, 50 to 600 Russian mobilized soldiers were neutralized: 

"For the Ukrainian military, the HIMARS became a real weapon of victory. After all, 'One missile - one destroyed target' is an unattainable result for outdated Soviet analogues."

Reference. The M142 HIMARS was developed in the United States in the late 90s. It has a large number of different munitions in its arsenal, including conventional unguided and GPS-guided precision ballistic missiles. 

Ammunition and its range: MLRS - 45 km, GMLRS - 70 km, ER GMLRS - 150 km, ATACMS - 300 km, experimental missile PrSM - 499 km.

What we know about HIMARS in Ukraine

HIMARS (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a rocket launcher mounted on a five-tonne truck that can quickly launch six guided missiles. The missiles delivered to Ukraine have a range of up to 80 km, which is more than twice the range of howitzers that the US previously provided to Ukraine.

On June 23, 2022, the first US HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems arrived in Ukraine. They played a crucial role in the preparation and conduct of successful operations against the Russian army.

According to the US Army, by mid-August 2022, Ukraine had destroyed more than 100 high-value Russian targets using HIMARS.

On June 27, 2023, the United States announced a new $500 million aid package for Ukraine, which included ammunition for Patriot and HIMARS, as well as armored vehicles.