Monitoring Desk
MAKIIVKA: Russia has said that a new year missile attack killed at least 89 Russian soldiers adding it happened because troops were using their cell phones.
Ukraine hit the college for conscripts in Makiivka, in the occupied Donetsk region shortly after the midnight on 1 January. Soldiers’ use of banned cell phones allowed the enemy to identify its target, the Russian military has now said.
While the number of people killed is still unverified, it is the highest death toll acknowledged by the Russia in war. Ukraine claims the number count is far higher, saying 400 soldiers were killed in attack and a further 300 soldiers injured.
Russia said that at 00:01 local time on the New Year’s Day, six missiles were fired from a US-made rocket system Himars at a technical training college, two of which were targeted. The deputy commander of regiment, Lt Col Bachurin, was among those killed, the military of defence released a statement on Telegram Wednesday.
“Mass use” of cell phones
A commission is investigating about circumstances of the incident that occurred. But it is “already obvious” that the major cause of the missile attack was the presence and “mass use” of cell phones by soldiers in range of Ukrainian weapons, despite these were being banned. “This factor gave a chance to the enemy to identify and determine the location of soldiers for a missile attack,” according to Russian authorities.
If officials found guilty in the investigation they will be brought to justice, the statement said, and added actions are being taken to prevent similar incidents in future. Russia also raised the count of the Russian soldiers killed in the missile attack to 89 – up from 63.
Deputy speaker of Moscow’s parliament, Andrei Medvedev, said it was predictable that soldiers would be accused rather than the commander who made the original decision to put so many of them in this place.
