Published on: 01.02.2023 – 12:15 Modified on: 01.02.2023 – 14:38
Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities on New Year’s Eve did not go entirely unanswered: footage of a particularly deadly attack by the Ukrainian military on a group of Russian conscripts surfaced on Russian and Ukrainian social media today, news that has infuriated Russian nationalist circles.
The strike took place on the night of December 31st, but the pictures were not released until January 2nd. It shows the ruins of a multi-storey building, that of a former technical institute, in the town of Makeïevka, in the part of Ukraine occupied by the Russian army. The building was completely demolished. The Ukrainian military has claimed responsibility for the attack and says the building housed several hundred Russian soldiers, all recently drafted.
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Criminal negligence?
At least 63 Russian soldiers were killed in the strike, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. According to the Russian ministry spokesman, who did not give a date, “four rockets” hit “a temporary deployment center” of the Russian army.
Many in militarist and nationalist circles are outraged by what they perceive to be criminal negligence on the part of the high command. The conscripts would all have been stationed in the same building without protection.
Worse, the building would also have housed a large ammunition depot. “A typical example of military stupidity,” writes a well-regarded report on the Telegram messenger, which, like many others, calls for exemplary sanctions.
► Also read: War in Ukraine: Russian attacks on Kyiv, Vladimir Putin claims ‘moral correctness’