Ukrainian Strike on Russian Barracks Kills 89 Soldiers Shortly After New Year's Eve

• Russian civilian anger is growing in the wake of a retaliation by Ukrainian forces that killed 89 Russian soldiers in a New Year’s Eve attack on the army's temporary barracks.
• The barracks were located in a vocational school in Russian-occupied Makiivka, Donetsk, one of the first Ukrainian regions to be annexed by the Russian forces, and were attacked by Ukrainian rockets just after midnight.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence estimated 89 deaths but Ukrainian sources are claiming upwards of 400 fatalities, without admitting direct involvement in the attacks. Either way, this was one of the deadliest episodes of the war for the Russian forces.

What Are Russian Civilians Saying?

• Despite the silencing of dissenting voices, more observers are speaking out, although they avoid implicating Putin himself.
• Russian civilians, nationalists, and lawmakers have demanded legal consequences for the commanders responsible for basing the soldier’s next to a weapons cache, a key target for Ukrainian counter-forces.
• Pro-Russian bloggers like Igor Girkin and Sergey Markov are publicly criticizing  the military command and the wider strategy guiding their tactical decision making.

Ukraine's Reaction

• The Strategic Communications Directorate of the Chief Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had a grim message, shared on Telegram: 

“Santa packed around 400 corpses of [Russian soldiers] in bags.”

• On Monday Ukraine shot down 27 Russian-launched drones that were targeting civilian infrastructure in the besieged nation. 
• Ukraine has not publicly admitted to carrying out the attacks.

⁠—Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: Twitter)