In the early morning hours of January 1, Ukrainian forces carried out an apparently successful missile strike in the town of Makejevka. The city is located in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
A school building was destroyed in the attack. The building is said to have housed mobilized Russian soldiers.
A video, which is actively shared on Ukrainian and Russian Telegram accounts, shows only the ruins of a building.
“Hundreds” of victims
According to the Ukrainian defense staff, as many as 400 Russian soldiers will be killed in the attack, while another 300 will be injured.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation claims that 63 Russian servicemen have been killed.
But the information is disputed among the Russian actors:
- The war blogger Boris Rozhin, known by the nickname “Colonel Cassad”, says the number of dead and injured is “significant”.
- Former FSB officer Igor Girkin, who was Vladimir Putin’s man in Ukraine for a long time, says the attack left “hundreds of victims” and says that “many are still under the ruins”.
- The Kremlin-controlled newspaper Tsargrad says it could be anything between 50 and 100 killed.
- Pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk say in their report that at least 15 people have been injured, according to the state-owned Russian media Paw.
Mobile phone
High mobile activity among the soldiers who were housed in the school building is said to be the reason that Ukrainian forces found the target, according to the state-owned Russian media Paw.
The claim is said to come from a source in the DPR – pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk.
– Currently, the cause of the HIMARS hit appears to be due to the active use of mobile phones by military personnel who have arrived. The enemy, using ECHELON signals intelligence, revealed the activity the location of subscribers, the source claims to the newspaper.
Western weapons
The Ukrainians are said to have used the deadly effective HIMARS system (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
The weapon system can have a range of hundreds of kilometers, depending on the ammunition, and an accuracy of a few meters. The rocket system is placed on lightly armored trucks and can be moved quickly.
The effect the weapons have had has been important for Ukraine’s counterattack against Russia.
– With HIMARS, Ukraine can reach important targets located more than 75 kilometers away from the front line. In that way, Ukraine can force Russia to place ammunition and supplies further away, which weakens Russia’s offensive, Lieutenant-Colonel Palle Ydstebø has told TV 2 earlier. He works in the section for land power at the war school.
