Russia claims to kill more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers in revenge attack

Image Source : PTI People kneel as the Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin of their comrade Oleh Yurchenko killed in a battlefield with Russian forces in the Donetsk region during a commemoration ceremony in Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russia on Sunday claimed to have killed more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers in a missile attack in Donbas area, Russian media reported. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that the troops were eliminated from the Ukrainian-held city of Kramatorsk in the Donbas area.

As per media reports, the attack is considered to be a 'retaliation operation' carried out in response to 'criminal attack' by Ukrainian forces on New Year's night. The attack had been carried out on a temporary housing area accommodating Russian servicemen in the city of Makeyevka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) on January 1, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement further said, "Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military has managed to uncover and confirm the location of Ukrainian troops in Kramatorsk in the DPR." This data revealed that dormitory No. 28 in the city was hosting more than 700 Kyiv soldiers, with 600 more staying in dormitory No. 47.

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"As a result of a massive missile attack on these temporary housing areas of the Ukrainian military's units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed," the ministry said, RT reported. On January 1, at precisely 0:01 a.m., Ukrainian forces targeted a temporary housing area containing Russian troops in the city of Makeyevka.

Six missiles from a US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher were fired at the building. Two of them were intercepted by Russian air defences, but four made it through, causing massive damage to the facility. The death toll from the strike has reached 89, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, RT reported.

Russia shells Ukrainian city hours after announcing temporary ceasefire

Ukraine, on January 6, reported a fresh attack on an eastern city from Russian forces hours after Moscow announced ceasefire, reported news agency AFP. According to reports, shelling took place in the frontline city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

As per a media report, a temporary ceasefire was announced between 9 am on Friday and 9 pm on Saturday by Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Orthodox Christmas. READ MORE

(With inputs from IANS)