- Ukraine appears to have destroyed two Russian thermobaric rocket launchers, using US artillery.
- Russia has been using them to strike Ukrainian positions in recent days to stall the counteroffensive.
Ukraine appears to have destroyed at least two prized Russian thermobaric rocket launchers, which are one of Russia's most effective weapons in repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Images of destroyed TOS-1A heavy thermobaric rocket launchers have circulated on social media from respected war-monitor platforms.
The footage was geolocated and confirms that Ukraine used Western precision munitions, reportedly the US-supplied Paladin 155mm artillery system, to destroy at least two of the Russian systems, according to Washington DC-based think tank the Institute of the Study of War (ISW).
—Rob Lee (@RALee85) June 8, 2023
— Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 9, 2023
The thermobaric rocket launchers are mounted on top of tanks and can launch rockets up to two miles, per Forbes. The weapons are scarce artillery assets controlled at the Russian military district level, according to ISW.
The TOS-1A can launch two types of warheads — incendiary and fuel-air explosives. The latter, also called vacuum or thermobaric rockets, work by using oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion.
The weapons system is extremely effective against entrenched personnel. The TOS-1A is used to clear out buildings, field fortifications and bunkers, according to Military-Today.com.
They are considerably more destructive than conventional explosives.
Russia only has a limited number of the powerful weapons
Although Russia has a limited supply of highly destructive weapons, Russian sources have highlighted the use of them in striking Ukrainian positions in recent days, ISW said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense and a Russian milblogger have referenced the weapons being used to fire on Ukrainian forces in Zaporizhia Oblast and on the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast administrative border, per ISW.
If Ukraine continues to use precision strikes to damage these systems, this could affect Russia's defensive capabilities, due to Russian forces' apparent reliance on these weapons, the think tank noted.
Russian forces are also unlikely to have enough of the systems to provide the same level of fire support all along the front line, ISW said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday at a news conference that the much-anticipated counteroffensive to take back territory from Russian forces had begun.
While Zelenskyy would not provide further details of the nature and location of the counteroffensive, reports have emerged of fighting escalating in the south and east of Ukraine.