Russia has been left reeling as the death toll rises following a Ukrainian strike on one of its military units in Makiivka, a city in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday night that the number of servicemen who died in the attack, which took place on New Year’s Eve, had risen to 89. Ukrainian and other sources say the actual death toll is much higher.
Russia blamed the unauthorized use of cellphones for the attack, saying that had allowed Ukraine to locate and strike its personnel, though this explanation has also been questioned.
Ukraine has seen no reprieve from the war to start 2023. Russia has hit the country with relentless strikes since New Year’s Eve in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Moscow’s attempt to “exhaust” his country with prolonged offensives.
Ukraine’s president said Tuesday night that his country is prepared for new Russian offensives, saying Moscow would “throw everything they have left” at the war.
