Relatives of Russian soldiers killed in Makiivka don't believe Russian Defence Ministry

Ukrainska Pravda
·2 min read
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Families of Russian soldiers who were killed in the Ukrainian town of Makiivka on New Year’s Eve at night do not believe the version of events presented by the Ministry of Defence of Russia.

Source: Russian BBC service

Details: After interviewing the families of the soldiers killed, the BBC came to the conclusion that they do not believe in the version suggested by the Ministry of Defence of Russia, i.e., that the soldiers themselves were to blame.

A sister of one of the survivors stated, "No one will say anything. They are shutting everyone’s mouth. All the boys (Russian soldiers – ed.) are telling their mothers not to believe what is being said on the TV. I think it is all quite clear, even without a deep dive. I feel sorry for the boys who lost their lives for nothing. The mothers are suffering".

A family member of one of the killed told the BBC that the statement by Sergei Sevriukov, deputy head of the main military-political directory of the Armed Forces of Russia, surprised him, as Sevriukov claimed that the main cause of the strike was the "massive use of phones by the personnel", which made it possible for Ukrainians to "detect the location of the soldiers to launch an attack on them".

Quote: "The truth is, they threw away all Russian SIM cards in Rostov (Russian city – ed.) on the way to Makiivka. Then their commander took them to a special place where they bought Ukrainian SIM cards. He contacted us via Telegram."

More details: The BBC states that the Russian secret services are actively working with the phones of the soldiers killed in order to find evidence that would confirm the version of the Russian Defence Ministry.

Background:

  • The Defence Forces of Ukraine launched an attack on a Russian military base in occupied Makiivka in Donetsk Oblast on New Year's Eve, killing 400 and wounding 300 occupiers to varying degrees of severity. The Russian soldiers were stationed in the building of local vocational school no. 19.

  • The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reported that the death toll following the strike on the Russian servicemen’s base in Makiivka had risen to 89.

  • The Ministry of Defence of Russia claims that the mobile phones used by the soldiers allowed Ukraine to destroy the building where they were staying.

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