Ukraine’s Armed Forces: hundreds of Russian draftees killed in HIMARS strike on Makiivka. ‘DPR authorities’ claim 15 people injured

In the early hours of 1 January, a missile strike was carried out on the city of Makiivka, located in the Russia-occupied part of the Donetsk region. A college building was destroyed in the attack. Russian servicemen were inside the building, the Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports in a Telegram post.

According to the Ukrainian side, around 400 people were killed in the strike, while around 300 were injured. Ukrainian media write that Russian mobilised servicemen were stationed in the building.

Russia’s state news agency TASS reports, citing the “representative office” of the self-proclaimed Donetsk “people’s republic” (“DPR”), that 15 people were injured in the attack. “There are injured. According to preliminary data, more than 15 people were injured. Updates to come,” the message of the “representative office” says.

TASS also claims that the strike was carried out from a multiple rocket launcher. Pro-Russian government Telegram channel Readovka also reports a strike being carried out from a HIMARS light multiple rocket launcher.

War correspondent Boris Rozhin reported earlier that the building housed mobilised servicemen. He claimed that a HIMARS system had been used for the attack and that the strike had resulted in “a big number of killed and wounded”. 

Reporter for Russia’s state-owned broadcasting company Alexander Sladkov also previously confirmed a strike on a mobilised servicemen location in the city of Makiivka. “I don’t know how many people were hurt — [there are] two, three killed soldiers, although there are rumours of many more…” he wrote.

Another Russian “war correspondent” Roman Romanov said that dozens of draftees from the Saratov region had been killed.

“Deputy Minister of Information” of the “DPR” Daniil Bezsonov said earlier, citing local citizens, that the strike had been carried out at exactly 00:01 from a HIMARS system. “Based on the facts, the high command is still unaware of what this weapon is capable of. I hope that those responsible for deciding to use this object will be punished,” he wrote.

There have been no other official comments from neither Ukraine nor Russia about the strike as of now. The first to report on the strike on Makiivka were Russia’s state news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS; they cited the “coordination centre” of the “DPR”.