Russia Claims 600 Ukrainian Troops Dead in Strikes, Kyiv Denies Anyone Was Killed

Moscow says the strike was retaliation for the HIMARS strikes that killed at least 89 Russian soldiers last week

Russia on Sunday claimed its forces killed over 600 Ukrainian troops in missile strikes, while Kyiv denies that there were any casualties at all.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that missile strikes hit two facilities in Kramatorsk, Donetsk, that were housing 1,300 Ukrainian troops as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes that used US-provided HIMARS rocket systems and killed at least 89 Russian soldiers last week.

“As a result of a massive rocket strike on these temporary bases of Ukrainian units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military claimed to AP that the strikes only damaged civilian infrastructure and said the “armed forces of Ukraine weren’t affected.” Local Kyiv-backed officials also insisted that there were no military casualties in the strikes.

Vastly different claims between the Russian and Ukrainian sides have been common throughout the war. After Ukraine launched HIMARS strikes on Russian soldiers last week, Ukrainian officials claimed they killed over 400 Russian soldiers. But Moscow only confirmed 89 were killed, which still makes it one of Ukraine’s deadliest attacks against Russian forces of the war.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.