600 Ukrainian soldiers killed in revenge attack: Russia

Moscow, Jan 09: The Russian Defense Ministry, on Sunday, claimed that they carried out deadly missile strikes on Ukrainian troop’s barracks in retaliation for the deaths of dozens of Russian soldiers in a rocket attack a week ago in which at least 89 Russian soldiers died, reported the Associated Press.

 

 

 

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said its missiles hit two barracks housing 1,300 Ukrainian troops in Kramatorsk, killing 600 of them. However, the Ukrainian officials denied there were any casualties.

 

 

 

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s forces in the east, Serhii Cherevatyi, told The Associated Press that the Russian strikes on Kramatorsk damaged only civilian infrastructure and that the Ukrainian troops weren’t affected. The Donetsk regional administration said seven Russian missiles hit Kramatorsk and two more hit Kostyantynivka, without causing any casualties. It said an educational institution, an industrial facility, and garages were damaged in Kramatorsk, and an industrial zone was hit in Kostyantynivka. Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko told AP that two school buildings and eight apartment houses were hit overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address, said, “The world saw again these days that Russia lies even when it draws attention to the situation at the front with its own statements.”

 

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“Russian shelling of Kherson with incendiary ammunition right after Christmas. The strikes on Kramatorsk and other cities of the Donbas — aimed right at civilian sites and right when Moscow was reporting the supposed ‘silence’ of its army.” Russia had declared a 36-hour cease-fire timed to coincide with Orthodox Christmas celebrations on Saturday. Ukraine, however, condemned the pause as a ruse.