According to a story released Wednesday, two HIMARS missile strikes attacked a training center in a Moscow-controlled part of eastern Ukraine, killing up to 60 Russian servicemen, only hours before President Vladimir Putin met with his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin.
According to sources, the Russian soldiers arrived at the Donetsk site just as Maj-Gen Oleg Moiseyev, commander of the 29th Army of the Eastern Military Region, arrived at a training ground near the hamlet of Trudovske.
Russia also verified the missile attacks, but called the death toll “grossly exaggerated.”
The attack also occurred after Russian forces seized control of the vital Ukrainian town of Avdiivka.
According to the article, the soldiers who were hit were from the 36th Motorised Rifle Brigade, which is generally based in Siberia’s Transbaikal area.
According to a reported video of a surviving soldier, the brigade’s commanders forced them to stand in an open field following the attack.
Transbaikal governor Alexander Osipov indirectly confirmed the strike in his Telegram channel, but stated that the reports were “inaccurate and grossly exaggerated,” adding that “full and accurate information would be provided to the families of all the soldiers involved.”
“No one will be left without help or support,” he said.
Ukrainian officials have yet to issue an official comment regarding the incident.The seizure of Avdiivka, long home to 32,000 people, is Putin’s most major battlefield triumph since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023.
Russia’s defense ministry aired television images of the aftermath, showing practically every house in Avdiivka with war wounds. President Putin praised the overall success of the Avdiivka operation and stressed the importance of a well-prepared and equipped continuation of their advances.
