The Russian government confirmed Monday the death of 63 servicemen in an attack executed by the Ukrainian Army with a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) against a locality in the area of the Donetsk region (east), controlled by pro-Russian authorities.
The Russian Defense Ministry has reported a Ukrainian attack with six U.S.-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers against a temporary deployment point of one of the Russian Armed Forces units.
«Russian anti-aircraft defense has shot down two HIMARS rockets,» Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has explained, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Konashenkov has reported in particular the impact of four rockets with high-explosive warhead. «All necessary assistance and support will be provided to the families and friends of the dead servicemen,» he said.
Also, Ukraine’s Joint Center for Control and Coordination of War Crimes Issues (JCCC) has noted on its Telegram account that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out several artillery strikes on the city of Donetsk, with no casualties reported so far.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has subsequently confirmed this attack in its daily report for day 313 of the «full-scale Russian invasion».
«On December 31, up to ten units of enemy military equipment of various types were destroyed and damaged in the area of concentration in the settlement of Makivka, Donetsk region. Human losses of the occupants have been reported,» Kiev has indicated.
It also gives an account of ten attacks of the Ukrainian aviation on Russian concentration areas and five attacks on the positions of their anti-aircraft systems.
Donetsk is, together with Lugansk the epicenter of a conflict since 2014, which spread nationwide after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to launch a military offensive against Ukraine. Putin announced in September the annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporiyia, all of which were partially occupied as part of the invasion.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
