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Russia raises Makiivka death toll to 89
Summary
A retrospective on the Russian defence ministry's revised casualty figure after the New Year strike on soldiers' quarters in Donetsk Oblast.
How many soldiers died in the strike on Makiivka? On 3 January 2023, the Russian defence ministry gave a new answer: 89. The figure covered troops killed in the Ukrainian missile attack of 31 December on military quarters in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast.
The ministry attributed the casualties to the soldiers' use of mobile phones with tracking systems. That was the explanation it offered for how the site had been located.
What the strike hit
The attack struck the building of Professional Technical School (PTU) No. 19 in Makiivka during the night of 31 December 2022 and 1 January 2023. It was carried out with HIMARS rockets, and it destroyed the building and nearby military equipment.
Competing figures
Russian officials had initially confirmed 63 troops killed. The revision to 89, announced two days after the strike, raised that count. Ukrainian officials claimed that the attack killed 400 Russian troops.
The revised figure of 89 was the number the Russian defence ministry stood by on 3 January 2023, alongside its explanation about mobile phones.
