Russian tank repair depot protected from Ukrainian rockets because of location

British intelligence officials have identified a depot where repairs are ongoing on hundreds of Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and military trucks that have been disabled in combat during Moscow’s five-month-old invasion of Ukraine.

The military refit and refurbishment facility could be an ideal target for HIMARS — the U.S. supplied M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System that Ukrainian officials have described as a “game changer” on the battlefield.

But there’s a catch.

On Monday, British military intelligence officials said the Russian repair depot is near the village of Barvinok, which is situated inside Russia, about six miles from the Ukrainian border.

With Kyiv having promised not to attack targets inside Russia using rocket systems supplied by the U.S. and other NATO allies, the situation underscores complexities in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Britain’s Defense Ministry identified the Russian repair depot in an intelligence update posted on Twitter on Monday.

The update said “inconclusive fighting continues” in eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, and that “Russian commanders continue to face a dilemma” of whether to resource their offensive operations in the Ukrainian east or bolster Russia’s defenses in the country’s west.

“In addition to its well documented personnel problems, Russia likely continues to struggle to extract and repair the thousands of combat vehicles which have been damaged in action in Ukraine,” the intelligence update added.

“At least 300 damaged vehicles were present” at the repair depot identified near the Russian village of Barvinok, it said, including “main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and general support trucks.”