Russia’s military leaders face calls for punishment after losing dozens of troops in one of the deadliest attacks yet launched by Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s defence ministry made a rare admission yesterday that at least 63 soldiers were killed in a single attack on a temporary barracks in a former college in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk on New Year’s Eve. Ukrainian officials earlier claimed to have killed as many as 400 Russians.
Russia’s commanders came under harsh criticism at home from irate military observers after the Kremlin’s rare admission.
A popular Russian nationalist military blogger said the deaths were a result of storing ammunition in the same building as a barracks despite commanders knowing it was within range of a Ukrainian military bolstered by munitions from Western nations.
The anger extended to politicians. Andrey Medvedev, deputy speaker of the Moscow City Duma and a pro-Kremlin journalist, said authorities must value Russian lives.
“Either a person is of the highest value and then punish for stupid losses of personnel, as for treason to the fatherland or the country is over,” Mr Medvedev said.
