The US-based Institute for the Study of War reported in a June 3 summary from military bloggers on both sides that on Sunday, the Ukrainian military successfully hit a S-300/400 anti-aircraft missile battery north of Belgorod, allegedly with a missile from a US launcher HIMARS.
"Since the United States partially lifted restrictions on Ukraine striking US military targets in the Russian border areas near Kharkiv Oblast, the Russian military has increasingly claimed that the Ukrainian army is striking Belgorod Oblast with HIMARS," ISW.
The main source of information about the successful strike on the anti-aircraft missile battery is the pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel "Spy Dossier", which published photos and video of the burning battery.
Another Ukrainian Telegram channel geolocated the photos, linking them to the vicinity of the village of Kiselevo outside Belgorod, and Russian military bloggers indirectly confirmed the strike by reporting - perhaps simply by looking at the photos - that two S-400 launchers and a tug were destroyed with trailer.
This was all pretty widely discussed and promoted throughout Monday.
Kiselevo is located 12 kilometers north-northeast of Belgorod, 80 kilometers from Kharkiv and 50 kilometers from the nearest point of Ukrainian-controlled territory.
ISW, following military observers on both sides, suggested the strike was carried out by a GMLRS missile from HIMARS, as Kiselevo is in range and other Ukrainian systems may not have reached as far.
At the same time, the summary states that "Russian sources will likely continue to call any successful strike in the Belgorod region a HIMARS strike, regardless of which system was actually used.
The Russian military routinely strikes Kharkiv with reprogrammed anti-aircraft missiles from S-300 launchers.
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