The Russian Defense Ministry, in a rare and unusual move, denied reports by Russian military bloggers that a marine infantry unit had lost hundreds of troops in an unsuccessful offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Claims by bloggers that the Pacific Fleet’s 155th Naval Brigade suffered “heavy and heartless casualties in men and material” are false, according to the state news agency RIA, according to the ministry.
Instead, in ten days, the unit penetrated five kilometers deep into the Ukrainian defense lines southwest of Donetsk. The ministry also denied allegations that brigade commanders proved incompetent. Thanks to the commanders, the losses did not exceed one percent of the fighting force and seven percent of wounded, most of whom had already returned to service.
The rare mention of victims suggests the reports may have hit a sore spot. Russian military bloggers have increasingly criticized the generals’ oversights since Ukraine retook much of the northeast.