Ukraine claims 400 Russian soldiers killed in strike in Makiivka, Moscow says 63

Kyiv [Ukraine], January 2 (ANI): Ukraine has claimed that 400 Russian soldiers were killed and 300 others injured after Ukrainian armed forces struck a Russian military base in the Makiivka region of Donetsk, The Kyiv Independent reported citing the Strategic Communications Department of Ukraine’s military post on Telegram.

According to the Ukraine-based news publication The Kyiv Independent, Russian soldiers were stationed in a local school building. Ukrainian General Staff has not reported on the strike in Makiivka. However, in its daily update, Ukraine’s General Staff said that 760 Russian troops were killed on December 30.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukraine’s strike has killed 63 soldiers of Russia through US-manufactured HIMARS, TASS reported. Speaking to reporters, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukrainian forces hit six rockets of HIMARS at the temporary deployment point of one of the units of Russian armed forces in the Makiivka region of Donetsk. It further announced that Russian air defence systems shot down two HIMARS rockets.

“The Kyiv regime struck with six rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system at the temporary deployment point of one of the units of the Russian armed forces in the area of the settlement of Makeevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” TASS quoted the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.

“As a result of the destruction of four missiles with a high-explosive warhead of the temporary deployment point, 63 Russian servicemen were killed,” it further said.
The Russian Defence Ministry in its daily report on January 2 said that its air defence facilities shot down 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Shipilovka, Liman, Kremennaya, Ploshchanka, Chervonaya Dibrova, Petrovskoye, Novognatovka, Nikolayevka, Skelki, Ocheretovatoye, Rubanovka and Lopatki.

Furthermore, the Russian Defence Ministry in its statement released on the website said that Moscow intercepted three rocket-propelled projectiles launched by Olkha and Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) near Krasnaya Gora, Podgornoye and Radensk.

In the statement, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Russia destroyed two US-manufactured M-777 artillery systems at their firing positions near Chasiv Yar and Minkovka. It further claimed that one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled howitzer has been destroyed near Antonivka and four Ukrainian D-30 howitzers have been destroyed at their firing positions near Serebryanka.