Armed Forces of Ukraine refute Russia's claim of "revenge" for Makiivka with strike on Kramatorsk

Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the eastern group of Ukrainian troops, refuted the statement made by the Russian Ministry of Defence claiming that the [Russian] missile attack on Kramatorsk on the night of 7-8 January was revenge for the strike by the Defence Forces of Ukraine on Makiivka just after midnight on New Year's Eve.

Source: Suspilne, a Ukrainian public broadcaster, citing Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the eastern group of Ukrainian troops; Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

Details: On Sunday [8 January], the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation called the missile attack on Kramatorsk on the night of 7-8 January a "revenge operation" for the attack on the Russian military base in Makiivka carried out by Ukraine late on New Year's Eve.

"Following the Kyiv regime’s criminal attack on a training site for Russian servicemen in the settlement of Makiivka [in the Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine - ed.] in the first minutes of January, the joint group command of Russian troops implemented a revenge operation. Over the past day, Russian intelligence has revealed - and confirmed through several independent channels - the temporary deployment sites of the Armed Forces of Ukraine servicemen in Kramatorsk," the Ministry of Defence of Russia said.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims that more than 700 Ukrainian servicemen have been housed in dormitory No. 28 and more than 600 in dormitory No. 47. As a result of a "massive missile attack" on these targets, over 600 Ukrainian servicemen have allegedly been killed.

However, Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the eastern group of Ukrainian troops, emphasised that the statement of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation is incorrect, because the Russian army does not have the ability to deliver high-precision strikes.

Quote: "This information is as true as the report that they [Russian troops – ed.] destroyed all our HIMARS.

This is an informational operation by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation in response to the successful attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with its high-precision attack systems, against large clusters of Russian personnel, warehouses, and logistics. They [Russian troops – ed.] don't have that capacity."

Background: 

• Earlier, Oleksandr Honcharenko, Mayor of Kramatorsk, reported that Russian invaders struck Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, using missiles on the night of 7-8 January. Many buildings were damaged following the attack. No casualties have been reported.
• 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.

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