Ukraine launches HIMARS missiles to kill Russian journalists in Luhansk region

Six people, including three Russian journalists, were killed in the zone of the special military operation in the Kremensky municipal district, Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the Luhansk People's Republic said.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by LCPL Seth Maggard, USMC, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

HIMARS missile launch

Izvestia correspondent Alexander Fedorchak, Zvezda TV channel cameraman Andrey Panov, and driver Alexander Sirkeli were killed. Pasechnik did not disclose the names of other victims.

The incident happened as the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the settlement of Mikhaylovka (Russian-controlled part of the Luhansk region). A fourteen-year-old teenager was hurt in the shelling as well.

He also reported that Zvezda correspondent Nikita Goldin was seriously wounded and hospitalized.

The incident occurred when a HIMARS missile launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit a civilian vehicle with journalists inside.

TASS Correspondent Injured in Border Region

Meanwhile, acting governor of the Kursk region Alexander Khinshtein reported that TASS correspondent Mikhail Skuratov sought medical assistance at the regional hospital in the Sudzha district. He suffered a blast injury and shrapnel wound to his left shin.

UN Calls for Investigation

The United Nations called for an investigation into the incident. Deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq stated that the organization opposes all killings of journalists. Russia's Permanent Mission to the UN vowed to raise the issue at the next Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

Russian officials claimed that the journalists were killed in 'terrorist attacks.

Details

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck frame. The HIMARS carries one pod with either six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets or one ATACMS missile. It is based on the U.S. Army's FMTV five-ton truck, and is capable of launching all rockets in the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions. HIMARS ammunition pods are interchangeable with the M270 MLRS. It has a single pod, as opposed to the standard two for the M270 and its variants.