Alleged HIMARS strike killed “hundreds” of Russian troops during Putin’s New Year address in Donetsk’s Makiivka – media (video, updated)

According to various reports by Ukrainian and Russian media, hundreds of Russian freshly mobilized soldiers billeted in the building of the Polytechnic School #19 (PTU 19) in Russian-occupied Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, were killed at around 23:00 EET on 31 December 2022 during Russian President Putin's televised New Year address in what Russian propagandists describe as a HIMARS strike. https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1609904676253667330 Some 400 Russian soldiers died, and 300 were injured on New Year's Eve, the Strategic Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported saying that it occurred "due to the 'careless handling of heating devices,' neglect of safety measures, smoking in an inappropriate place." The Russian TV channel Tsargrad said that the death toll is estimated at "hundreds of people" in local chats. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Operational Reports reported 500 dead.

"Taking into account what even propagandists Vladlen Tatarsky, Daniil Bezsonov, and [Oleg] Tsarev are whining about the really staggering losses, no one will disclose the exact numbers, but it is clear from the tone of the posts that those are very high, therefore, during the New Year holidays, relatives of mobilized Russians will have to welcome hundreds of coffins from Ukraine," Ukrainian online newspaper Texty noted.

Citing his sources, Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Butkevych stated that a HIMARS strike caused the detonation of the ammunition stockpiled in the basement so that the building "folded like a house of cards," while there was the following personnel in the building, according to his figures "that may increase":

• 24 soldiers of the 20th commando unit of the VV PriVO (internal troops of Russia's Volga Military District, - Ed.);
• 20 soldiers of the 360th Training Regiment for Communications of the internal troops of Russia's Ministry of Interior, military unit 5204;
• 242 soldiers of the 631st Regional Training Center for Combat Training of Missile Troops and Artillery, military unit 50661.

Russian propagandist Igor Girkin also stated that almost the entire facility was destroyed due to the detonation of the ammunition stored in the same building. According to him, almost all the equipment parked right next to the building was destroyed too.

"Regarding the number of victims, there are no final figures yet, since many people are counted as missing (remaining under the rubble). In any case, the account of the dead and wounded goes on many hundreds," Girkin wrote.

Two videos of Ukrainian HIMARS launchers firing rockets emerged on social media in the first days of 2023, however, Euromaidan Press could not independently confirm if any of those shows the attack on the Russian barracks in Makiivka: https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1609910272109547520 Update: The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that 63 Russian soldiers were killed as a result of an attack of the "Kyiv regime" with six HIMARS rockets on the point of temporary deployment of one of the units of the Russian armed forces in Makiivka. Read also:

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