Moscow has come under fire after it acknowledged the major fatality count in one of the deadliest strikes in the 10-month-old war. The acknowledgement resulted in outrage among Russian nationalists who demanded that the country’s commanders be punished.
Russia acknowledged on Monday that dozens of its troops were killed in what would be one of the deadliest strikes in the war to date. The Russian defense ministry said 63 soldiers were killed in a strike that destroyed the temporary barracks in a former vocational college in Makiivka, the twin city of the Russian-occupied capital of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
The ministry said the barracks were hit by four rockets fired from US-provided HIMARS launchers. The ministry claimed that two of the rockets were shot down. Ukraine said the Russian death toll is in the hundreds, but pro-Russian officials said the estimate by Kyiv was an exaggeration.
Russian military bloggers said the incident was because ammunition was stored in the same place as the barracks, even as commanders knew it was within the range of Ukrainian rockets. In videos posted online, a former pro-Russian unit commander in eastern Ukraine and military blogger Igor Girkin said hundreds of Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the blast.
Girkin said ammunition was stored at the site, and the military equipment was camouflaged. Another Russian nationalist blogger named Rybar said around 70 were killed, and over 100 troops were wounded.
On the same day, Ukraine said it shot down all 39 drones Russia fired for the third consecutive night of air strikes on civilian targets across the country. Ukrainian officials said their success was an indication that Russia’s strategy of firing a barrage of rockets to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure was more of a failure as Kyiv bolsters its air defenses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Monday that Russia is gearing up for a protracted long-term campaign of strikes across Ukraine using Iran-made Shahed-136 drones with the goal of wearing down Ukraine.
“We have information that Russia is planning a protracted attack using Shahed drones,” said Zelenskyy in his nightly video address. “It is probably banking on exhaustion. Exhausting our people, our anti-aircraft defenses, our energy.”


Justice Jackson Slams Supreme Court's Growing Use of Shadow Docket
Trump Administration Eyes Erica Schwartz as Next CDC Director Amid Leadership Overhaul
Russia Unleashes Massive Drone and Missile Barrage on Ukraine, Killing Civilians
Iran Offers Partial Strait of Hormuz Access Amid U.S. Peace Talks
U.S. Signals Opposition to Bachelet's UN Secretary-General Bid
Brazil's Former Intelligence Chief Alexandre Ramagem Released from U.S. Immigration Custody
Chile's Kast Unveils 40-Point Economic Reform Package to Boost Growth
Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Attempting to Block Hawaii's Climate Case Against Oil Giants
House Republicans Near Deal on FISA Extension with Limited Reforms
Russia Launches Deadly Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Killing Three Including a Child
South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korea Nuclear Site Disclosure
Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 4,000 Prisoners Under New President Min Aung Hlaing
U.S. Weapons Delays to Europe Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict
Ukraine's Svyrydenko Returns from U.S. With Renewed Support and Diplomatic Momentum
China Navigates Diplomatic Tightrope Between Iran Peace Efforts and Trump Summit
Israel-Hezbollah War: Netanyahu Vows to Dismantle Militia and Secure Peace Through Strength
Trump Administration Moves to Deport Iranian Academic Yousof Azizi Over Alleged Visa Fraud 



