A Russian kamikaze drone has destroyed a U.S.-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system at the junction of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Dnepropetrovsk Oblast.

Footage of the strike was released by the Rubikon Center for Unmanned Systems on its official Telegram channel. According to the statement, during a combat sortie on the night of January 20, 2026, a drone operator detected a missile launch from a HIMARS system. The launcher was then tracked and subsequently destroyed near the settlement of Novobakhmetyevo.

By comparing the published video with the map of the special military operation, analysts at RIA Novosti concluded that the drone covered an unusually long distance for its class. The shortest straight-line route to Novobakhmetyevo runs from the so-called Dobropolye salient and measures roughly 45 kilometers. Since the launch was carried out not from the immediate line of contact, the actual flight range was even greater.

It is known that HIMARS systems in Ukraine are used to strike Russian rear areas with guided rockets from the GMLRS family, which have a range of up to 84 kilometers. An assessment of the battlefield map suggests that the target of this particular launch may have been located as far as 30 kilometers deep into the Russian rear.

As the agency notes, the incident is likely to force the Ukrainian military command to reconsider how these multiple launch rocket systems are employed. With the growing threat posed by Russian kamikaze drones, HIMARS launchers may have to be pulled even farther back into Ukrainian-controlled territory. At the same time, drones are far from being the only means used to hunt down and destroy such high-value targets during the special military operation.