Fire after artillery fire at the Bakhmut front line in Ivanivske, Donetsk province, January 2, 2023. /CFP
Fire after artillery fire at the Bakhmut front line in Ivanivske, Donetsk province, January 2, 2023. /CFP
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a Monday briefing that more than 60 Russian troops were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on New Year’s Eve, while a makeshift barracks at a former vocational school in Makyovka, the twin city of the Russian-controlled provincial capital, was destroyed. He added that he was hit by artillery fire. Donetsk.
Ukraine said the Russian death toll was in the hundreds, but pro-Russian officials called it an exaggeration.
Moscow said four rockets fired from US-made HIMARS launchers hit the scene and two rockets were shot down. The attack occurred precisely at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, when soldiers were celebrating.
Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said all necessary aid and support would be provided to the families of the fallen soldiers.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously accused Washington of not only supplying Kyiv with advanced weapons, but also of providing Ukrainian forces with information about the location of Russian forces.
Russian Senator and former Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karashin not only demanded reprisals against Ukraine and its NATO supporters, but also called for a “rigorous internal analysis.”
Sergey Mironov, a member of parliament and former president of the Russian Senate, said against officials who “allowed military personnel to concentrate in unprotected buildings” and “all higher authorities who did not provide an adequate level of security”. and demanded criminal liability.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made no mention of the strike in his nightly speech on Monday.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) visits combat units on December 22, 2022. /CFP
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) visits combat units on December 22, 2022. /CFP
Russia launches massive airstrikes, Ukraine fights back
Separately, Ukraine announced on Monday that it had shot down all 39 Russian-launched drones in airstrikes in its capital Kyiv and other cities. strengthened its air defense.
Moreover, Kyiv attacked an energy facility in Russia’s Bryansk region on Monday, leaving nearby villages without power, said regional governor Alexander Bogomaz. He said there were no casualties in the incident, but an energy facility caught fire. He added that the blaze was localized and repairs would begin as soon as it was completely extinguished.
Since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict last February, the Ukrainian military has carried out countless drone and mortar attacks in the Russian border regions of Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk, mostly damaging Russia’s energy infrastructure and residential areas. is targeted. And the Russian side has recently turned to massive airstrikes on Ukrainian cities.
After launching dozens of missiles on December 31, Russia launched more than 80 Iranian-made Shahed drones on January 1 and 2.
President Zelensky said on Monday that Russia was planning a lengthy campaign of attacks to “wear out” Ukraine, adding that the number of attacks “could increase in the very near future.” could be far from peaceful,” he added.
A man checks for destruction around a shelter in the city of Izium, Ukraine, January 2, 2023. /CFP
A man checks for destruction around a shelter in the city of Izium, Ukraine, January 2, 2023. /CFP
Former NATO General Predicts Ceasefire
Meanwhile, a former German military and NATO general predicts a ceasefire in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine can be expected throughout 2023, as early as mid-year.
General Hans Lothar Domrose told a newspaper from Germany’s Funke Media Group on Sunday that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would reach a stalemate in early summer, by which time both sides would say that the ongoing fighting was “no more.” It’s useless,” he argued. We will use it,” he said, adding that this would be the moment to begin ceasefire negotiations.
“A truce in 2023,” Domrose said, warning that this does not mean an immediate and lasting peace. said it was “likely to take a long time.”
On the current state of the conflict, Domrose said that Russia has the advantage of having “more tanks and more missiles”, but that Kyiv is “totally dependent” on Western arms supplies, and that Moscow has He claims it will only prolong the conflict.
The general said the only way to end the conflict would be through a negotiated agreement acceptable to both sides, and that a possible solution would be to abandon Kyiv’s demand for immediate integration of Crimea into Ukraine. suggests that there is a 50 years.
However, Moscow has previously suggested that negotiations will only take place if Ukraine considers the “new reality” that Ukraine must recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, a prerequisite for peace talks. He said he had to.
(Information provided by Reuters)
