Ukraine hunts Russian tank regiment HQ for months; then two HIMARS rounds finish it (video commentary)

10/31/2026

Ukrainian forces spent months tracking the command post of Russia’s 26th Tank Regiment before destroying it with two HIMARS strikes, Ukraine’s 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade reported.

According to the brigade, Ukrainian reconnaissance teams monitored the site for several months, refined its coordinates, and waited until they fully confirmed the target. Once the location was verified, HIMARS was brought in. Two munitions were enough to destroy the command post, the brigade said.

The aftermath was partly captured in intercepted Russian radio communications included in footage released by the Ukrainian unit.

In the recording, one Russian serviceman says those who survived the strike scattered “like rats from a sinking ship.”

Another responds that they should have relocated the command post earlier.

The 33rd Brigade said the site was destroyed, while the extent of Russian personnel losses is still being assessed.

Earlier, the 45th Artillery Brigade of the 11th Army Corps destroyed a Russian 9A316 transporter erector launcher and radar element from the Buk air defense system using an M142 HIMARS rocket system. Reconnaissance personnel from a neighboring unit in the 3rd Army Corps detected the target and passed its position to the strike team. Shortly after the attempted intercept, a precision rocket struck the Russian installation, setting off a secondary explosion that completely detonated the vehicle.

Analysis suggests Ukrainian forces employed an M30A1 rocket loaded with tungsten shrapnel submunitions, a payload engineered to neutralize personnel and lightly armored equipment.

This marks the first confirmed use of American HIMARS platforms by the 45th Artillery Brigade. The unit also operates German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, Swedish Archer systems, and Ukrainian Bohdana artillery pieces during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The M142 HIMARS was also recently spotted in service with the 147th Separate Artillery Brigade of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces. HIMARS can deliver a precise strike only with precise targeting information. However, Washington has deliberately limited the transmission of high-resolution satellite imagery and operational electronic intelligence for strikes deep in the rear. American AWACS systems and satellites monitor every movement of Russian convoys, every movement of headquarters and warehouses, but this information is blocked in the Pentagon offices. The Americans are not simply preventing weapons from hitting these targets – they are refusing to reveal their locations, acting as silent guardians of Russian logistics. The HIMARS continue to operate, moving into position under strict information silence.