A combined attack on a command post in Zaporizhzhia has killed three high-ranking Russian officers, according to Ukrainian officials.
"Three officers of the leadership of the Russian occupation forces were eliminated as a result of a successful operation," The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry announced via Facebook on Friday.
The operation—a joint effort between Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Security Service and Armed Forces—was carried out using a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), followed by a drone attack which struck "the evacuating group of the invaders."
The Intelligence Directorate shared footage of the attack on X, depicting a massive explosion at a remote outpost, followed by what seems to be the use of multiple cluster munitions.
As a result, Kyiv claims that two officers of Russia's 135th Motorized Rifle Regiment were killed, alongside one commander of the anti-aircraft battery of the 4th Guards Military Base. These officers, the Intelligence Directorate said, were "participating in the criminal war against Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region," which has been the theater of intense fighting since the oblast was annexed by Russia in February 2022.
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, the three officers killed in the operation were Captain Dmitriy Nagorny, Captain Grigory Krokhmalyov and Captain Yuriy Fomin.
Newsweek could not independently verify the Intelligence Directorate's claims, and has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
Why It Matters
The elimination of three officers, if confirmed, would represent a successful step in Kyiv's strategy of targeting Russian military officials and individuals overseeing the invasion.
This decapitation strategy led to the successful assassination of Lt. General Igor Kirillov, who led the Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, and who was killed after a bomb planted on a scooter exploded in Moscow. Kyiv claimed responsibility for the attack. Days later, Russia's Federal Security Service said it had foiled a Ukrainian plot to kill several senior officers.
On Wednesday, a Ukraine HIMARS strike killed Salim Pashtov, deputy commander of Russia's 810th Marine Brigade, reportedly using a HIMARS to strike his command post in the city of Lgov, Kursk.
What To Know
The latest attack comes amid intense fighting in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, annexed by Russia in the early days of the invasion.
On Thursday, Ivan Fedorov, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Military Administration, said that Russia had targeted the oblast's "industrial infrastructure" with a series of strikes. This followed a massive attack by Russia on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, in which Kyiv said 184 drones and missiles had been launched at sites across western Ukraine.
Earlier in December, local authorities reported that a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia had killed at least eight and injured a further 22.
What People Are Saying
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, via press release on Friday: "As a result of the operation, three officers of the Russian occupation forces were eliminated ... 5 units of [Russian] vehicles were also destroyed. The fight continues! Glory to Ukraine!"
What Happens Next
Ukraine received its first HIMARS in June 2022, as stated by then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. Since then, the U.S. has supplied Kyiv with at least 39 of these systems, and their effectiveness in aerial attacks against Russian targets has prompted the Biden administration to equip Kyiv with additional ammunition for the American-made systems.
In what is likely one of its last aid shipments before the new administration takes office, the latest $500 million security assistance package for Ukraine includes HIMARS rockets, alongside drones, counter-drone technologies, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, armored and light tactical vehicles, small arms ammunition, and training and support services for Ukraine's Armed Forces.
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