Ukraine war: Fury in Russia at military top brass, killer drones, Sweden NATO membership
Russians have called on military commanders to be punished after scores of Russian soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike.
Nationalist bloggers and lawmakers accuse Russia's top brass of ignoring the risk of a Ukrainian strike and putting troops in a dangerous situation.
In a rare disclosure, Russia's defence ministry said 63 soldiers were killed on New Year's Eve, following a large blast that destroyed a temporary barracks in Makiivka, a city in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv claimed the death toll was around 400 Russian soldiers killed and 300 more injured in the incident, making it one of the deadliest strikes in the war so far.
Russian critics said the soldiers were housed by military commanders next to an ammunition dump, amplifying the devastation caused by the Ukrainian strike.
The site was hit by four rockets fired from US-made HIMARS launchers, according to Russia's defence ministry.
Russian military bloggers, who wield considerable influence in the country, also condemned top brass for knowing the site was within range of Ukrainian rockets.
Many of those killed were recently mobilised troops, meaning they have been called up by Russian authorities, rather than volunteered to fight.
Igor Girkin, one of the highest-profile Russian military bloggers, said hundreds of men had been killed or wounded. Ammunition had been stored at the site and military equipment there was uncamouflaged, he said.
"What happened in Makiivka is horrible," wrote Archangel Spetznaz Z, another Russian blogger with more than 700,000 followers. "Who came up with the idea to place personnel in large numbers in one building, where even a fool understands that even if they hit with artillery, there will be many
Read more on euronews.com
