On July 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that a combat crew operating the Uragan multiple rocket launcher system of the Eastern Operations Group conducted an attack on Ukrainian reinforcements near the Shirokoye residential area, Zaporizhzhia province, killing more than 30 Ukrainian soldiers according to Russia's statement.
TASS news agency quoted information from the Russian Ministry of Defense as saying that reconnaissance units using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had previously detected the route used by the Ukrainian army to bring reserve forces and vehicles to the deployment area near Shirokoye.
After verifying the target, coordinate data is transferred to the combat crew operating the Uragan rocket artillery system of the Eastern Combat Group to organize the attack.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Uragan system's shelling targeted areas where forces, vehicles and fortifications of the Ukrainian army are concentrated, as well as positions used to gather reinforcements. The attack hit pre-determined targets, but the specific time of the incident was not disclosed.
In addition to rocket attacks, UAV control units of the Eastern Combat Group also participated in artillery counter-attack operations in Zaporizhzhia province.
According to a statement from the Russian side, after receiving the target coordinates, the attack UAVs destroyed some Ukrainian artillery equipment, including a 2S22 Bogdana self-propelled howitzer, an M109 self-propelled howitzer, an M114 towed howitzer and a number of 122mm caliber D-30 howitzers.
Zaporizhzhia is one of the key fighting areas on the front lines between Russia and Ukraine. Over the past time, this area has regularly witnessed shelling, missile and UAV attacks from both sides, in the context of ongoing conflict.
The Uragan system is a 220mm caliber multiple launch rocket developed by the Soviet Union, capable of attacking targets on a large scale at a distance of tens of kilometers. Meanwhile, UAVs are increasingly widely used by both Russia and Ukraine for reconnaissance, target designation as well as performing precision attack missions on the battlefield.
Currently, the Ukrainian side has not made an official comment on the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
