Kyiv admitted carrying out the attack that killed at least 63 Russian soldiers near Donetsk
Ukrainian authorities, who claimed responsibility for Monday night’s attack, speak of a much higher toll.
Russia on Monday (January 1) acknowledged the deaths of more than 60 soldiers in Ukraine, killed in a Ukrainian offensive on a separatist region in the east of the country, the biggest loss in a single offensive acknowledged by Moscow since the start of the invasion. . The Ukrainian general staff confirmed carrying out this attack in Makiivka, a town under Russian occupation located east of the separatist city of Donetsk, on New Year’s Eve.
In a rare announcement following criticism from Russian war correspondents, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said 63 Russian servicemen were killed in the explosion “four missilesto Makiivka. The Russian army only on very rare occasions gave an assessment of its attacks or communicated losses. According to the Ministry of Defence, the missile was fired by the HIMARS system, a weapon supplied by the United States to Ukrainian forces and struck “temporary placement centerRussian troops on Makiivka.
Nearly 400 killed, according to Kyiv
On Monday evening, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement that its forces were behind the attack on the city. “Up to 10 units of enemy military equipment of various types were destroyed and damagedsaid the General Staff. Earlier in the day, the strategic communications department of the Ukrainian armed forces said that nearly 400 Russian soldiers had died in Makiivka.
The General Staff, which did not confirm this figure, said that the balance “losshuman rights are upheld. The announcement of heavy losses immediately sparked criticism of the Russian military command, which was specifically accused by former separatist leader Igor Strelkov, who was well aware of the situation on the ground, of storing ammunition in this unprotected building. .
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Russia’s increasingly influential war correspondent says hundreds were killed in the attack on a vocational school in Makiivka, accusing military commanders of failing to learn from their past mistakes. “Ten months after the start of the war, it is dangerous and criminal to regard the enemy as a fool who sees nothingsaid Andrei Medvedev, Deputy Speaker of the Moscow City Legislative Council.
The governor of Russia’s Samara region, Dmitry Azarov, announced the opening of telephone lines for relatives of the slain soldiers, among whom are his constituents. On social media, some accused Russian authorities of understating the death toll. “My God, who would believe the number 63? The building was completely destroyedwrote a Russian, Nina Vernykh, on Russia’s main social network VKontakte. On this social network, Russians are invited to collect clothing, medicine and materials for survivors.
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Russian strike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his forces have shot down more than 80 drones since early 2023.In the near future, this number may increase“, did he state. The announcement of this strike came after the New Year was marked by Russian bombings in Kyiv and other cities on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which left five people dead and dozens injured.
On Monday, Kyiv again came under fire from Iranian-made drones but Ukrainian troops said the majority were shot down. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in the northeast of the city. On Monday evening, the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegoubov, claimed that Ukraine’s second largest city and territory was once again the target of Russian missiles.
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“Critical infrastructure targeted“, he wrote. Chief of Staff of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said so far the military has released “40% of the territory was occupied after 24 February“. Four loud explosions were heard late Monday by AFP journalists in the Kramatorsk region, the de facto administrative capital of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The regional authority tweeted that “two missilesin Druzhkivka and Yakovlivka, near Kramatorsk, and reported 2 injuries.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on social media late Monday that it used high-precision weapons to carry out attacks near Kramatorsk and in the Kharkiv region, claiming to have killed “more than 70 foreign mercenaries“.
Ukraine and the European Union Summit
After a series of military setbacks on the ground and Ukrainian offensives targeting Russian territory and annexing Crimea, Moscow opted from October to bombard infrastructure in Ukraine, regularly causing power, heating and water outages. According to UN human rights officials, they cause “very big troubleto Ukraine.
Ukraine and the European Union will hold a summit in Kyiv on February 3 to discuss European financial and military support, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said in a statement on Monday. Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the details of this high-level meeting during a telephone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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According to the statement, they referred to the transfer of arms “correspondingand the launch of a new €18 billion financial assistance program for Ukraine adopted in December by the European Parliament. kyiv insisted that the first contribution be paid to the country in January.
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