Ukraine has labelled a Russian claim that hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attack “propaganda“.
Without providing any evidence, Moscow claimed that a “mass missile strike” in the eastern city of Kramatorsk killed more than 600 Ukrainian forces.
It claimed it was in retaliation for a New Year’s Day Ukrainian attack on a Russian base that killed dozens of Russian soldiers.
However, the Ukrainian military denies this.
According to Russia’s defense ministry, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in a strike on buildings temporarily housing Ukrainian forces. According to Moscow, over 1,300 Ukrainian troops were housed in two buildings.
The attacks were described as a “retaliatory strike” to avenge the deaths of 89 Russian troops in Makiivka.
According to Ukraine, up to 400 people were killed or injured in Makiivka, while Russian nationalists on social media have given numbers in the hundreds.