63 Russian servicemen killed in Ukrainian missile strike
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Russia reports that 63 of its soldiers were killed in the DPR following a Ukrainian strike on the region's Makiivka.
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A screenshot taken from a video showing the location of the targeted building in which more than 60 Russian soldiers were killed (Telegram)
Some 63 Russian soldiers were killed Monday after Ukrainian forces fired missiles on the temporary deployment facility of the Russian troops in Makiivka, Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
According to Moscow, Ukraine fired six HIMARS rockets at the area, with two of the missiles getting shot down by the Russian forces.
"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed," the defense ministry's statement read.
"All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and relatives of the deceased military personnel," the statement added.
🇷🇺🇺🇦 At 00:01 on January 1, 2023, a HIMARS attack was launched against the technical school building in Makiivka, Donetsk (two shells were intercepted by the air defense, four reached their target). pic.twitter.com/ZrL3du7wLS
— Rybar in English (@rybar_en) January 2, 2023
The DPR has been largely subjected to Ukrainian shelling for the past few months, with the mayor of the region's capital saying late in December that a hospital caught fire due to the Ukrainian bombing, causing several injuries among civilians and prompting an evacuation in the targeted facility.
A blaze was also reported at the complex's Building No 2, he noted, revealing that patients were being evacuated into a safe place.
A member of the republican emergencies service told Russian news agency Sputnik that a total of three hospital buildings had been damaged in the shelling.
Ukrainian armed forces have been shelling Donetsk from the northwestern village of Orlivka. Several rounds hit the hospital as well as a medical university, a market, a hostel, and transport infrastructure, in addition to shattering windows in residential blocs
Reports came out earlier in the month saying Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Donetsk using BM-21 Grad rockets.
In a statement on Telegram, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime said, "Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine in the direction of 03:49 Tonenkoye village - city of Donetsk (Voroshylovskyi District) 10 rockets were fired from BM-21 ‘Grad’."
A Sputnik correspondent reported that two buildings were on fire in Donetsk following the attack. One of the buildings houses a funeral home. A church was also damaged during the shelling.
Putin came out on December 20, saying Kiev was carrying out strikes against residential areas in Donetsk, targeting civilians, while no foreign media and human rights activists report on the matter.
Earlier, the DPR's mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC), highlighted that since February 24, strikes conducted by Ukrainian forces on the DPR have killed 4,392 civilians, including 132 children, and wounded 3,926 people.
On Telegram, the JCCC noted that the Ukrainian strikes destroyed 9,224 residential buildings, 2,200 civilian infrastructure facilities, and 1,114 vehicles.
