- Missile strike kills Russian soldiers
- Controversy over casualty reporting
- Increasing fatalities in Ukraine conflict
Two missiles struck a training area in occupied eastern Ukraine, reportedly killing at least sixty Russian soldiers.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, troops had gathered at the location in the Donetsk region in anticipation of the arrival of a senior commander.
Video footage of the incident appeared to reveal a significant number of fatalities.
An official from Russia confirmed the occurrence of a strike but deemed the rumours to be “grossly exaggerated.”
Reportedly, hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the attack occurred.
During the meeting, Mr. Shoigu asserted that the Russian forces had achieved victories in various sectors of the front line and discussed the recent conquest of Avdiivka. However, he neglected to address the incident in the Donetsk region.
According to reports, members of the 36th motorised rifle brigade, which is ordinarily stationed in the Transbaikal region of Siberia, were at a training area near the village of Trudovske awaiting the arrival of Maj-Gen Oleg Moiseyev, commander of the 29th Army of the Eastern military region.
Deadly Strike on Soldiers in Open Field
During a video recording of the aftermath, a soldier who survived the incident stated that the brigade commanders had ordered them to stand in an open field.
They were reportedly struck by two missiles launched from the HIMARS launch system, which is manufactured in the United States.
This, along with additional stills and videos, depicts what appears to be dozens of soldiers lying deceased in a field. At least sixty people have perished, according to estimates, including those of the survivors.
Indirectly confirming the strike on his Telegram channel, Transbaikal governor Alexander Osipov condemned the “grossly exaggerated” and “inaccurate” reports.
He stated that complete and accurate information would be provided to the families of all the personnel involved, without providing casualty figures.
He added that no one will be left without assistance or support.
No statement has been received thus far regarding the strike from the Ukrainian authorities.
Military Blogger’s Tragic End Over Censorship
Various pro-Russian sources have reported that Andrey Morozov, also referred to as Murz, a military blogger, has committed suicide.
In a succession of ostensibly concluding posts, Morozov, whose Telegram channel has approximately 100,000 subscribers, stated that the military had compelled him to remove a report detailing Russian losses in recent engagements, including Avdiivka.
He had estimated that the campaign had resulted in the deaths or severe injuries of 16,000 soldiers and the destruction of 300 pieces of armour.
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The blogger stated that state television propagandists had silenced him, but they were too spineless to attempt to murder him.
He continues, “I’ll do it myself then.” “I’ll shoot myself if no-one dares to take on this trifling matter.”
Certain pro-Russian military bloggers have reported casualties on a regular basis, whereas the Russian military rarely does so. Ukraine has also reported that thousands of Russian soldiers have been slain in recent engagements.
In total, 45,123 have been formally pronounced deceased, with 6,614 having passed away since October of last year. Since that date, the average number of weekly fatalities has increased significantly in comparison to previous months.
