Ukraine Needs Another 32 HIMARS After Putin's City Blitz, Kyiv Advisor Says

Ukraine needs another 32 HIMARS mobile rocket launchers, along with modern tanks and air defense systems, to defend itself against Russia according to a prominent Ukrainian official.

On Monday a wave of Russian missile and drone strikes hit cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, killing at least 12 civilians according to local officials.

Targets struck in Kyiv included a children's playground, the Khanenko art museum and the Glass Bridge, a footbridge popular with tourists which opened in 2019.

Speaking to Newsweek Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, said the West needs to step up its support for Ukraine to avoid further Russian "escalation."

After saying Ukraine is "very grateful" for military support provided thus far, Gerashchenko said: "To continue the counteroffensive, preventing escalation from the Russian side and Ukrainian victory we need three times as much 155 mm artillery, three times as many HIMARS and the maximum amount of ammunition for them.

"Also we need tanks—not old Soviet tanks at this point, but tanks produced in the West to advance and liberate our territory.

"We need many armored vehicles that that the U.S. have quite a lot of. We need air defense systems and finally, a political decision needs to be made to give Ukraine aviation and combat helicopters."

Ukraine currently has 16 HIMARS provided by the U.S., and 10 older M270 rocket launchers given by the U.K. and Germany.

Ukrainian forces have used their HIMARS to devastating effect, hitting Russian command posts and arms dumps well behind the front line.

In September the U.S. State Department said it would finance another 18 HIMARS for Kyiv, though they could take years to be built and delivered.

President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on Monday, following the Russian attacks, and pledged to "continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems."

Commenting on the meeting Zelensky said: "Air defense is currently the number 1 priority in our defense cooperation."

Earlier, the Ukrainian president tweeted: "The world once again saw the true face of a terrorist state that is killing our people. On the battlefield & in peaceful cities.

"A country that covers its true bloody essence & goal with talks about peace. It proves that the liberation of 🇺🇦 is the only basis of peace & security."

Russian state TV insisted "military infrastructure" had been struck in Monday's attacks, though this claim was accompanied by footage of widespread destruction in civilian areas.

Ukraine has long been pushing for the supply of modern Western-made tanks, such as the German Leopard II, and combat aircraft, though the U.S., EU and U.K. have been reluctant to provide these.

In June Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Kyiv, promising 40 mothballed German-built Leopard A4 tanks from Spanish army stocks.

However, the plan was put on hold, as it would require German parliamentary approval, then canceled following a feasibility study.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has been contacted for comment.