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NATO Has a Problem: Russia Claims to Have Destroyed Warehouse Full of Harpoon Missiles

Harpoon Block II
Harpoon Block II. Image Credit: Boeing.

Russia Boasts of Destroying NATO-Supplied “Precision” Guided Missile Systems – According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian troops have used long-range air-launched missiles to destroy a warehouse housing Harpoon missiles supplied by the West. Russia’s news agency TASS also claimed that a missile launcher and a transport loading vehicle for a HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) were destroyed in an additional strike.

HIMARS

HIMARS. Image Credit: U.S. Military.

The news comes as Ukraine becomes more proficient in the use of NATO-standard weapons, including several HIMARS supplied by the United States in recent weeks. The high-precision missile systems have allowed Ukraine to conduct a number of longer-range strikes against Russian targets, including two Russian ammunition depots in the last week alone.

An additional eight HIMARS were sent to Ukraine from the United States last week, with an additional four on their way.

In a statement shared on Telegram, the Russian Ministry of Defense described the “significant losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and claimed that “cases of desertion are growing.”

The statement also described how the Russian armed forces “continue to strike at military facilities on the territory of Ukraine.”

“Harpoon anti-ship missiles, transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries, were destroyed by high-precision long-range air-launched missiles in one of the buildings of an industrial enterprise in the city of Odessa,” it continues.

Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian Ministry of Defense also commented on the strike, describing how “high-precision long-range air-launched missiles in one of the buildings of an industrial enterprise in the city of Odessa destroyed a storage warehouse for Harpoon anti-ship missiles transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries.”

“As a result of the strike on the deployment point of the 97th battalion of the 60th motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Novodanilovka, Zaporozhye region, up to 65 nationalists and over 10 units of special vehicles were destroyed,” Konashenkov.”

The strikes are a positive development for the Russian military, if reports due prove accurate, particularly following the recent “operational pause” and after several crippling strikes by Ukrainian forces using HIMARS.

The loss of Harpoon missiles is also bad news for Ukraine. One of the most successful and effective weapons in its class, the Harpoon missiles have been used by Ukrainian forces in several instances, which certainly made Russia take note. They are used by 30 armies all over the world, including Chile, India, Israel, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan.

Harpoon

210123-N-VH871-1123 NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Italy (Jan. 23, 2021) Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Adam Vasquez, assigned to the “Grey Knights” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 46, installs an AGM-84D ‘Harpoon’ missile onto a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, Jan. 23, 2021. VP-46 is currently forward-deployed to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations and is assigned to Commander, Task Force 67, responsible for tactical control of deployed maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadrons throughout Europe and Africa. U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national security interests and stability in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Austin Ingram/ Released)

Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles

WATERS NEAR GUAM (Mar. 10, 2016) – Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) conducts a live fire of a harpoon missile during Multi-Sail 2016. Multi Sail is a bilateral training exercise aimed at interoperability between the U.S. and Japanese forces. This exercise builds interoperability and benefits from realistic, shared training, enhancing our ability to work together to confront any contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Eric Coffer/Released)

Harpoon Missile

A view of an RGM-84 surface-to-surface Harpoon missile, immediately after leaving a canister launcher aboard the cruiser USS LEAHY (CG-16), near the Pacific Missile Test Center, Calif.

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Dee_Hos

    July 17, 2022 at 3:08 pm

    Suuure they did and I’m married to a supermodel who, me, her, and all her friends do it on my yacht all day long…

    Back in reality Russia’s military couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. It was probably another shopping mall or children’s hospital.

    Though please keep on with this. At some point either us or the Brits will say enough and impose a no-fly zone. Then what will the little Z marked Nazis do? Stay on the ground with their radars off or wind up as a smoking crater are the only 2 options.

  2. Sean M. Brannon

    July 17, 2022 at 3:55 pm

    Why does this website insist on publishing Russian propaganda? Russia has claimed to have destroyed Ukraine’s air force two and a half times over based on the aggregate total of announcements since 24 FEB. How about, instead of lurid click-bait headlines, you stick to reporting verified news?

  3. Ross

    July 17, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    Have the Russians provided any evidence to back up this claim? If not, then who cares what thye say. They have zero credibility.

    • Mr. Russian

      July 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm

      There is video of HIMARS being destroyed but I doubt that most of this site readers would bother to watch it.
      Russia is constantly losing by being entrapped with more and more Ukrainian land.
      It’s Zelensky’s secret plan – give up all Ukrainian land, so Russia would finally lose completely 🙂

      • PeterW

        July 18, 2022 at 7:11 am

        The video of the Himars destruction doesn’t show anything of the sort.

        Russia hasn’t taken a single meter in over a week.

      • Omega 13

        July 18, 2022 at 10:48 am

        Thanks for that Vladbot.

    • 30 SECONDS TO HIMARS

      July 18, 2022 at 5:20 pm

      Indeed! Very sketchy website with a 3-month valid SSL security certificate. Reminds me of pop-up misinformation websites prior to US elections!

  4. MrT

    July 17, 2022 at 5:28 pm

    Russia keeps taking Ukrainian territory daily. Somehow this unprofessional backwards army is beating NATO. Hmmmmmm. Maybe peace would be better for Ukraine since the Donbass is full of ethnic Russians.

    • Free Thinker

      July 18, 2022 at 1:17 am

      Yeah, but that requires readers to know what’s been going on in the Donbas region…..way before Americans ever heard of the name.

      No one over here cares to do research…..when the local news media spoon feeds them baby food. No one over here cares to research…..lazy and complacent. All they care about is themselves…..their lives….and how they stand to gain….just look at society…utter garbage. Yet our country has the audacity to point the finger at Russia? How about war for oil…….drone striking innocent civilians….etc, etc…

      You won’t see any of that thinking here. We’re too busy legalizing pedophilia and dressing up in drag to do anything worthwhile on planet Earth.

  5. John

    July 17, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    The following statement is verifiably incorrect: “One of the most successful and effective weapons in its class, the Harpoon missiles have been used by Ukrainian forces since the early days of the conflict with Russia”. They have most assuredly not been used since the early days of the conflict. They’re a relatively recent entrant to the theatre. This casts doubt on the veracity of the entire article

  6. aldol11

    July 17, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    we’ll send more, a lot more until Russia is completely defeated
    Ukraine is the end of Russia as a world power and of Putin as a mafia boss

  7. steven jackson

    July 18, 2022 at 3:23 am

    Call Russia’s bluff. HIT the nuke plant in Ukraine that they are using for cover and ATTACK interior Russian targets to give them the message that they can’t hide anywhere or you will loose the conflict.
    Make your choice Zelenko.
    Fuck the US woke government and faggot military run by milly the treasonous Chief of Staff. Give SEC DEF austin his much needed enema. Israel its time to hit Fordam with a deep penetrator. Your time to act, before they build there nukes, is here. You only need one airburst over you to cripple your fighting forces.
    signed:
    Unafraid.

  8. Doug

    July 18, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    The US neewds to pay a heavy price for instigating this proxy war.

    Rank and file Ukranians DONT want it, and cant win, but the west doesnt care. All the advanced weapons wont make a difference, without committed soldiers fighting for a cause they believe in , and shoring up the 2014 coup isnt it.

    Epic fail, what disastrous consequences.

  9. Froike

    July 18, 2022 at 12:18 pm

    Pravda! Of course we believe everything Russian Press says. After all, they are as reliable as CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS. LMAO

  10. Dmitry

    July 18, 2022 at 9:52 pm

    The key word is “Russia said”. I don’t know how much you need to be repulsed on the head in order to still believe in Russia. Russia said in January that its troops were in training and had no plans to attack Ukraine. Then Russia announced that its exercises were over and it began to withdraw its troops. Then Russia declared that it FOUND some BIOLABORATORIES in Ukraine. It seems that no one even remembers this lie. Then Moscow claimed that it did not bomb the Theater in Mariupol full of civilians. Then she claimed that she had bombed it, but there was ALLEGEDLY the HQ. Russia hits civilians with rockets every day, and then, without embarrassment, declares that this is a military facility. THEN we all remember the lies of Russian propaganda when they allegedly captured the French Caesar. But they didn’t provide ANY evidence for that. Dear author, why are you referring to Russian fairy tales again?

  11. Dmitry

    July 18, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    The funny thing is that the Russian info dump “Komsomolskaya Pravda” refers to your article as a fact.
    h ttps://www.mk.ru/politics/2022/07/19/analitik-soobshhil-o-plokhoy-novosti-dlya-nato-izza-himars-i-harpoon.html
    And the Russian layman has a feeling that since an American writes about this, then he is a third-party independent source, which means he has more confidence in this information. It turns out a funny situation, in your article you refer to unverified Russian sources, but in turn the Russian mass media pick up the news and refer to your article as a fact. So my question is, who does the author work for?
    Is Russian propaganda using you blindly, or are you deliberately participating in dispersing fakes?

  12. doesn't matter

    August 15, 2022 at 9:43 am

    Russia’s beating NATO, LOL, huh?

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