HIMARS attack to escalate War, says David B. Collum

David B. Collum, a researcher currently studying the Russia–Ukraine War, shared his thoughts on the recent attack on a Russian facility in the town of Makiivka, which is located in the Russian–controlled region of the Donetsk area of Ukraine.

To bolster the Ukrainian army’s defences against Russian occupiers, the US delivered HIMARS surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine. The attack occurred at midnight.

Following the launch of six HIMARS warheads by the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian defence ministry reports that more than 400 Russian soldiers were killed and 300 were injured in this attack.

Moscow claims the fatal missile strikes resulted in the deaths of 63 Russian soldiers. Senior Russian installed official Daniil Bezsonov claimed that the building housing the Russian forces had taken a significant hit in the areas of the Donetsk region that were under Moscow’s control. Due to HIMARS strikes, the entire building was destroyed.

“I want to remind you that when NATO supplied sophisticated weapons operated by skilled NATO troops, this was no longer a Ukraine-Russia conflict. If we kill Russians, we have escalated the War. Don’t say you haven’t been warned if Russia hits us”, said Collum.

Collum emphasises that he wants to remind everyone that this is no longer a battle between Ukraine and Russia since NATO provided cutting-edge weapons operated by professional NATO forces.

He made it clear that the recent HIMARS attack on Russian troops would intensify the conflict. President Zelensky predicts that the War will be over in 2023, but this doesn’t appear likely given that Russia would escalate its attacks on Ukraine rather than scale back its efforts.

“Don’t say you haven’t been warned if Russia hits us,” he further cautioned Ukraine. Collum obliquely concurred with Putin’s assertion that Western nations are instigating conflict by aiding Ukraine with modern weapons.

Putin also emphasised that the ongoing risks posed by NATO’s expansion led to Russia beginning this military campaign in Ukraine. NATO has grown eight times since the battlegroup was established.

Moscow claims that including Ukraine in NATO will increase the threat to Russian security by surrounding Russian frontiers with armed forces and missiles.

The confrontation is no longer between Russia and Ukraine, as David B Collum pointed out. NATO has indirectly started a war with Russia.