Russia reports over 600 Ukrainian troops eliminated in retaliatory offense
In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia's defense ministry claimed on January 9, 2023, that it had killed over 600 Ukrainian servicemen in a massive rocket strike on two structures in eastern Ukraine. However, this claim cannot be independently verified or confirmed.
According to Russia's support ministry, over 700 Ukrainian troops were housed in one hostel, and over 600 in another. The specific dormitories targeted in the missile strike have not been independently verified as housing Ukrainian servicemen, and there were no apparent indications that soldiers had been living in either of the dorms. No direct confirmation or denial of the Russian claim regarding the dormitories has been reported from Ukrainian officials.
The strike targeted the town of Kramatorsk, according to Russia's defense ministry. The specific structures targeted in Kramatorsk have not been identified. The mayor of Kramatorsk, on Facebook, claimed previously on Sunday that nobody had been killed in an assault on various buildings in the city.
The Russian ministry states that it used reputable knowledge to target Ukrainian troops. However, Reuters cannot verify the defense ministry's assertion about the number of casualties, and the claim of killing over 600 Ukrainian servicemen in the missile strike cannot be verified by Reuters.
Contextually, there have been multiple missile and rocket strikes during the conflict, including instances where Russia claimed significant Ukrainian military casualties. However, these often remain unverified or are contradicted by Ukrainian sources. For example, previous claims such as Russia announcing the killing of "over 300 nationalists" during an attack on Chasiv Yar in 2022 were not independently corroborated and were disputed.
Furthermore, no search results provided detailed evidence or verification of a large-scale strike with 600 Ukrainian servicemen killed specifically on January 9, 2023. The reports focus more broadly on ongoing military operations, missile strikes, drone attacks, and territorial control changes without specific casualty confirmations matching the stated figure.
In summary, the claim by Russia's defense ministry about killing 600 Ukrainian servicemen in a single rocket strike on January 9, 2023, lacks independent confirmation and should be viewed cautiously, as such figures are often part of contested information in the conflict. There has been no immediate discussion of the Russian claim from Ukraine.
General news outlets, like Reuters, have not been able to independently verify or confirm the claim made by Russia's defense ministry regarding the killing of over 600 Ukrainian servicemen in a single rocket strike on January 9, 2023, during the ongoing war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, the focus of news reports has been on broader coverage of ongoing military operations, missile strikes, drone attacks, and territorial control changes, without specific casualty confirmations matching the stated figure. Furthermore, no detailed evidence or verification of a large-scale strike with 600 Ukrainian servicemen killed specifically on that date has been provided. Therefore, politically-related claims about military casualties during this conflict should be approached with caution, as they often remain contested and unconfirmed.
