Russia-Ukraine War: On Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry considerably increased the number of confirmed fatalities by attributing a lethal missile strike by Ukraine that it claimed killed 89 servicemen to the soldiers’ unauthorised use of mobile phones.
63 Russian servicemen were reportedly killed in the weekend attack, according to Moscow. The ministry’s response came as some Russian critics’ ire over what they perceive to be a lacklustre effort in Ukraine became louder and louder.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has not made any public comments on the attack, which was another blow following significant combat retreats in recent months, received less criticism on social media than military commanders.
The makeshift Russian barracks at a vocational college in Makiivka, the twin city of the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian defence ministry, was struck by four Ukrainian missiles.
Despite the fact that an official investigation has been opened, the ministry claimed that servicemen’s widespread unauthorised use of mobile phones was the primary cause of the attack.
In a statement released shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday) in Moscow, it said that “This factor allowed the enemy to track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers’ location for a missile strike.”
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, who rarely speaks about particular military operations by his country, said in a video speech on Tuesday that Russia was about to conduct a big offensive to boost its standing but made no mention of the attack.
In a video message, Zelenskiy stated, “We have no doubt that current masters of Russia will throw everything they have left and everyone they can round up to try to turn the tide of the war and at least delay their defeat.
“We have to disrupt this Russian scenario. We are preparing for this. The terrorists must lose. Any attempt at their new offensive must fail,” he added.
According to the Ukrainian military, a strike it carried out near Makiivka cost the Russians equipment and probably personnel. But it hasn’t provided any more information.
Though others claim that these estimates are inflated, Russian nationalist bloggers and certain pro-Russian officials in the area place the death toll at Makiivka in the hundreds.
Bakhmut Face-off
The situation on the front line close to the eastern town of Bakhmut, according to General Valery Zaluzhny, head of the Ukrainian armed forces, was particularly difficult.
In several instances, Russian forces have advanced over the corpses of their own men as they have attempted to seize Bakhmut and the surrounding countryside on numerous occasions. Using the messaging service Telegram, Zaluzhny reported that the Ukrainian army were still holding out.
Putin is being urged by a little-known patriotic organisation that assists the widows of Russian soldiers to issue instructions for a massive mobilisation of millions of men and to block the borders in order to guarantee victory in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy reaffirmed Ukrainian claims that Moscow is considering a full-scale mobilisation, despite Russian officials’ denials.
According to a representative of the U.S. State Department, news that the Ukrainian military had “hit a Russian military barracks that stockpiled ammunition inside of Ukrainian territory” and resulted in numerous Russian deaths had reached Washington. Putin intends to speak with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax, the latest in a string of discussions the two men have had since the start of the war. “We have also read allegations that many of these soldiers were fresh recruits.”
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United Nations and Turkey as mediators
The United Nations and Turkey served as mediators to reach an agreement enabling grain exports from Ukrainian ports last year, but the likelihood of meaningful peace negotiations is remote, especially as the conflict persists.
General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, was commended by Ukrainian General Zaluzhny for his assistance in securing the supply of anti-missile weapons systems, which Kyiv claims are destroying an increasing number of Russian missiles aimed against power facilities.
Senior officials have been hammering home this point daily, according to Zaluzhny, who claimed to have discussed the equipment Ukraine needed to improve its chances of defeating Russia.
Zelenskiy stated, “Right now is the moment when, together with our partners, we should strengthen our defence.”
Meanwhile, according to Sunak’s office, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured Zelenskiy of Britain’s long-term support, “as demonstrated by the recent delivery of more than 1,000 anti-air missiles.”
On February 24, 2022, Putin began what he refers to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine with the intention of protecting Russian-speaking citizens and thwarting threats to Russian security. Moscow is accused by Ukraine and its supporters of making an unwarranted territorial grab in the imperialist fashion.
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