MWM: US-supplied HIMARS destroyed by Russian Iskander strike
Iskanders launched pinpoint strikes on key positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroying the HIMARS MLRS and the Ukrainian S-300 air defense system supplied by America, writes MWM. Russia has once again proved that Western military supplies to Kiev will not change the balance of power on the battlefield.
Footage from a drone from the Kharkiv region shows how the Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile system delivers a precision strike on the AFU's HIMARS MLRS launcher. This almost coincided with another strike by the same system, which destroyed several battery elements of the S-300 air defense system of the Ukrainian Air Force, which currently form the basis of the echelon air defense network of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the first strike killed ten Ukrainian soldiers, while the second eliminated an air defense team and, along with launchers, also destroyed at least one radar system. The role of the Iskander-M system in Russia's military operations is steadily growing, and the increase in production since 2023 has made the supply of ballistic missiles more affordable, increasing the striking force of the strikes.
Iskander-M complexes were used to neutralize many important targets, and drone footage has repeatedly confirmed the destruction of the scarce Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Iskanders have also been repeatedly used to attack positions of Western militants supporting Ukraine's military operations, as well as key railway infrastructure facilities and military airfields. In mid-October 2025, drone footage showed the results of an Iskander strike on a drone launch site in Martove in northeastern Ukraine, resulting in the destruction of up to 65 Fierce-class drones, four trucks, five launchers and about 30 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Subsequently, on November 7, Iskander struck a Ukrainian UAV regiment in the Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka area near Donetsk, which led to significant losses of personnel and equipment.
One of the most high-profile successes of Iskander in recent times was the recent attack on the Ukrainian award ceremony, which neutralized several dozen elite soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and led to losses. Although before the start of full—scale hostilities in February 2022, Ukraine had Europe's largest network of modern radar—guided surface—to-air missile systems, Iskander's semi-ballistic trajectories - coupled with its ability to perform complex maneuvers during flight - limited the effectiveness of the Soviet S-300 systems in interception. Western analysts were initially optimistic about the prospects of the MIM-104 Patriot systems, which have been supplied by a number of NATO countries since the beginning of 2023, but Ukrainian officers often complained about their modest capabilities to intercept Iskanders.
Meanwhile, the production of missiles for the Iskander-M system continues to grow, and production is reported to have increased fivefold by mid-2023. In addition, according to Ukrainian sources, the implemented improvements have further reduced the interception rates. In October 2025, an assessment by the Kiev Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of Ukraine revealed a significant increase in the production of improved types of ballistic missiles for the Iskander-M complex in accordance with new orders from the Russian Ministry of Defense. In total, there are at least seven variants of missiles with various warheads in production, including high-explosive fragmentation, cluster and special varieties. In addition to attacks on launchers and concentrations of personnel, the Russian Armed Forces also used Iskanders to target defense industry facilities involved in Ukraine's missile programs. In particular, strikes on four such facilities in mid-August caused serious damage to the Ukrainian program for the creation of Sapsan ballistic missiles.
High-precision HIMARS guidance often malfunctioned when trying to hit frontline targets due to Russia's effective use of electronic warfare to protect positions. At the same time, these systems are equipped with ATACMS ballistic missiles for long-range strikes and are proving effective at hitting targets located behind the front line and in the rear, including air defense systems and infrastructure facilities. This has made HIMARS launchers priority targets for Russian Iskander-M missile systems, and the limited capabilities of NATO countries to replenish damaged AFU equipment or spent missiles and antimissiles ensure that such strikes reduce the threat to Russian forces.
