Air Strike in Ukraine Results in Dozens of Casualties Among Russian Troops
At least 60 Russian troops are reported to have been killed in eastern Ukraine following a missile strike on a training area in the Donetsk region, according to sources familiar with the situation. The attack occurred as troops gathered for the arrival of Major General Oleg Moiseyev, commander of the 29th Army of the Eastern military region. Video footage suggested a significant number of casualties. The strike allegedly occurred just before a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, during which Shoigu highlighted Russian successes but did not mention the incident.
The targeted troops, members of the 36th Motorised Rifle Brigade from Siberia’s Transbaikal region, were reportedly waiting in an open field and were hit by two missiles launched from the US-made HIMARS system. Survivors claim that brigade commanders ordered them into the exposed area. The Russian government confirmed the strike but dismissed reports as “grossly exaggerated.” Transbaikal Governor Alexander Osipov indirectly acknowledged the incident, assuring that accurate information would be provided to affected soldiers’ families.
Separately, pro-Russian sources reported the alleged suicide of military blogger Andrey Morozov, known as Murz. Morozov, with around 100,000 Telegram channel subscribers, claimed to have been coerced by the military to remove a report detailing Russian losses in recent battles, including the capture of Avdiivka. The blogger asserted that he had been silenced by state TV propagandists and threatened with death. The circumstances of Morozov’s reported death remain unverified.
Russia has a history of underreporting military casualties, while some pro-Russian bloggers and Ukraine have disclosed information on Russian troop losses. Recent updates from BBC Russian, in collaboration with Mediazona, indicate a total of 45,123 confirmed Russian military deaths since the invasion of Ukraine began, with a notable increase in weekly fatalities since October of the previous year. The BBC continues efforts to verify the authenticity of footage and reports surrounding these events.
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