Sun 08 January 2023:
In order to avenge the deaths of Russian troops in Makiivka, Moscow said on Sunday that its army carried out a devastating “retaliatory strike” in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
While some estimates place the number of casualties in the hundreds, Russia claims that 89 of its soldiers perished in that attack.
“More than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed” as a result of a strike on Kyiv troops stationed in two buildings in Kramatorsk used as barracks, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement, calling the attacks a “retaliatory strike.”
🤡« In response to the attack on #Makiivka on January 1, we carried out the “retaliation” operation, striking Kramatorsk. There were 700 & 600 Ukrainian servicemen in two buildings; more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of our missile attack » — russian MoD🤡 pic.twitter.com/VgebCliard
— Albina Fella ✙ 🦝🇺🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺🇫🇷🇵🇱🇺🇸🍉 (@albafella1) January 8, 2023
Russia’s defence ministry did not say when the strike occurred, but said “more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed” when two buildings used as barracks were targeted in the city in the eastern region of Donetsk. The casualty number could not immediately be independently verified, but would represent one of the deadliest single attacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
The ministry said the attack was in response to a Ukrainian strike at the beginning of the year on the Russian-occupied town of Makiivka, in which Russia said 89 of its troops were killed.
No obvious signs of casualties where Russia says soldiers killed: Reuters reporters
#Ukraine A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk missed its targets and there were no obvious signs of casualties, a @Reuters reporter said, after Moscow claimed the strike killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers.
🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/1Pj26rIUB7
— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) January 8, 2023
People look at the site of a missile strike that occurred during the night in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters].
Reuters reporters have said there were no obvious signs of casualties at two dormitories in the city of Kramatorsk, where Russia claimed a “retaliatory strike” had killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers who had been temporarily housed there.
Russia’s defence ministry did not specify exactly when the attack took place, but Reuters reporters visited the site – two college dormitories – on Sunday and reported that neither building appeared to have been directly hit by missiles or seriously damaged. They reported there were no obvious signs that soldiers had been living at the locations and no sign of bodies or traces of blood.
One of the buildings had several broken windows, and stood by a courtyard that had a big crater in it, they reported.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the strike or on Russia’s claim of hundreds of casualties. Kramatorsk’s mayor earlier said there had been no casualties amid seven overnight Russian strikes on the city, which is located in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian officials deny Russian claims of deadly strike
Ukrainian officials have denied Russian claims that a strike on dormitories in Kramatorsk killed 600 Ukrainian service members.
“This information is as true as the data that they have destroyed all of our HIMARS,” Sergiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern group of the Ukrainian armed forces, told the Suspilne media outlet, referring to high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) supplied by the United States.
Later, speaking to the BBC, Cherevaty called the claim “propaganda”.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
