A video shared on Facebook claims Ukraine destroyed 46 pieces of the Russian Navy with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Verdict: Misleading

There is no evidence that Russian naval units were destroyed by Ukrainian HIMARs.

Fact Check:

Social media users have been sharing a video claiming that Ukraine has destroyed 46 Russian naval units using HIMARS. The video’s caption reads, “In the Middle of Hell- 46 Pieces of Russian Navy Destroyed Overnight by Hundreds of HIMARS Missiles!” The preview of the video states that “46 Russian warships burning like hell under the wrath of US missiles.

There is no evidence, however, that 46 Russian naval units or warships had been destroyed by Ukrainian HIMARS. If there was, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has only claimed to have destroyed 20 Russian naval vessels since the war started in February 2022.

Oryx and Warspotting, websites that track visually confirmed destroyed military equipment, also show that there are far fewer Russian naval losses than what the Facebook post claims. Oryx shows that 16 Russian naval vessels have been destroyed or damaged. Warspotting also has that same number. (RELATED: Posts Claims Ukrainian Challenger 2 Tank Was Not Destroyed)

Ukraine did hit a Russian naval base with a missile strike, heavily damaging two Russian naval vessels, including a Kilo-class submarine, according to Business Insider. Photos published Sept. 18 showed a heavily damaged Kilo-class submarine.

CIT received exclusive photos of the damaged Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don. They indicate she received two hits, one of which is not visible from the satellite imagery.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/pYJ5n4n07H

— CIT (en) (@CITeam_en) September 18, 2023

Ukraine likely hit the British base with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, according to Sky News.