Russia-Ukraine WarRussia claimed to have killed more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers in a missile strike in the Donbass region on Sunday, Russian media reported. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the troops were evacuated from the Ukrainian-occupied city of Kramatorsk in the Donbass region.
According to media reports, the attack is believed to be a ‘revenge operation’ in response to a ‘criminal attack’ by the Ukrainian military on New Year’s Eve. The ministry said in a statement that the attack was carried out on January 1 at a temporary housing area housing Russian soldiers in the city of Makeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
“Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military has managed to uncover and confirm the location of Ukrainian troops in Kramatorsk in the DPR,” the statement further said. This data showed that Dormitory No. 28 hosted over 700 Kyiv soldiers in the city, with over 600 living in Dormitory No. 47.
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“As a result of a massive missile attack on these temporary accommodation areas of units of the Ukrainian army, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed,” the ministry said. At exactly 0:01 on 1 January, the Ukrainian military targeted a temporary housing area containing Russian troops in the city of Makeyevka.
Six missiles were fired at the building from a US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher. Two of them were intercepted by Russian air defenses, but four made it through, causing heavy damage to the facility. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the death toll from the attack has reached 89, RT reported.
Russia shells Ukrainian town hours after declaring temporary truce
Ukraine reported a fresh attack on an eastern city by Russian forces on January 6, hours after Moscow announced a ceasefire, the AFP news agency reported. The shelling reportedly took place in the border town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
According to a media report, a temporary ceasefire was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin between 9 am on Friday and 9 pm on Saturday during the Orthodox Christmas. read more
(With inputs from IANS)
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