Ukraine Rocket Strike: 63 Russian Soldiers Killed in Highest Russian Casualty Since War

In one of the most lethal counter-attacks on Russian forces since the Ukraine-Russia war broke out over 10 months ago, Ukrainian rocket strikes killed 63 Russian soldiers stationed at a facility in Moscow-held areas of Donetsk.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 3 January 2023 8:13 am

Russia Ukraine war

Ukrainian forces fired six U.S supplied rockets from a HIMARS launch system, of which two were shot down, said the Russian Defence Ministry. The statement did not specify when the strike happened.

Russian military bloggers said ammunition stored close to the facility exploded during the attack thus contributing to the high number of casualties. An angered Daniil Bezsonov, official with the Russian-appointed administration in Russia-occupied Donetsk, called for punishment of military officers responsible for stationing large number of troops at the facility.

The strike proved critical in enabling Ukrainian forces to hit key targets, delivered a new setback for Russia which in recent months has reeled from a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Dmitry Azarov, governor of Russia’s Samara region said that the strike in the town of Makiivka has injured and killed an unspecified number of residents in the regions.

Since the New Year’s Eve, Russian forces have relentlessly been attacking Kyiv. As per Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Russia fired over 40 drones towards the Ukrainian capital on Monday, but some were destroyed. The attack damaged energy infrastructure facilities and an explosion was caused in one city district. Whether the explosion was caused by drones or munitions was not immediately clear.

Previously, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had accused Russia of “Energy Terrorism” since the Russian aerial bombardments left people without any access to heat amid freezing winters. Russia was accused of “weaponising winter” to demoralize the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian military acknowledged the attack Monday confirming the date of the attack on Makiivka as December 31. The General Staff said 10 Russian military vehicles were destroyed and damaged. In a yet-to-be-independently-verified claim by the Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, some 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational building in Makiivka and nearly 300 others were wounded.