Reports emerged on Wednesday of a Ukrainian strike on a military training center in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region, just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to the BBC, the strike, carried out using a HIMARS missile, resulted in the deaths of at least 60 soldiers.
Alexander Osipov, the Governor of Transbaikal, confirmed the attack via his Telegram channel. However, he downplayed the severity of the incident, describing reports of casualties as "grossly exaggerated." He assured that accurate information would be provided to the families of the affected troops.
The attack comes in the wake of recent strategic maneuvers by Russian forces, including the capture of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka. The targeted soldiers belonged to the 36th Motorised Rifle Brigade, primarily stationed in Siberia's Transbaikal Region.
Despite the severity of the attack, Ukrainian officials have refrained from issuing an official statement regarding the incident.
In a separate development, several pro-Russian sources have reported that the military blogger Andrey Morozov, known as Murz, has killed himself.
Morozov, whose Telegram channel has some 100,000 subscribers, wrote in a series of apparently final posts that he had been forced by the military to take down a report about Russian losses in recent battles, including Avdiivka.
He had said about 16,000 troops had been killed or seriously injured in the campaign and 300 pieces of armour destroyed.
"Well I'll do it myself then," he adds. "I'll shoot myself if no-one dares to take on this trifling matter." Russia's military rarely reports casualties, but some pro-Russian military bloggers have regularly done so. Ukraine has also spoken of thousands of Russian troops killed in recent battles.
Several Indians Forced into Combat on Russia-Ukraine Border, Here's why
Ukraine PM Urges Missile Support in Tokyo Amid Delayed US Aid
Former Russian Pilot Who Defected Found Dead in Spain Under Mysterious Circumstances