Washington: A senior White House official said on Wednesday that the US is not "hurrying" about Russian soldiers killed in the attack on Ukraine.
The Makievka building, which is being used as a barracks, is located in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city. While the Ukrainian military calculates that around 400 soldiers were killed, Russia has officially acknowledged only 89 deaths, an already unusually high number.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, blamed Russia following criticism regarding the use of US-supplied weapons by Ukrainian defenders in that country, including the Makiivka strike.
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The administration hasn't "rushed," Kirby said. This is a war. They (Ukrainians) are fighting back and defending themselves because they have been attacked. Legitimately, period."
All sides agree that the attack was unusually deadly, even by the bloody standards of the more than 10-month-old Russian invasion, but Kirby declined to provide a US estimate of casualties.
He said, "I will not discuss casualties. This is a war. And right now, there is fierce fighting going on. War is a bloody business."
Kirby also did not specify how the sophisticated HIMARS multiple rocket weapon was used in the attack.
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The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS for short, is credited with transforming the Ukrainian military's ability to face larger, better-equipped Russian forces. HIMARS delivers devastatingly accurate rockets.
"We're giving them systems and they need their help to protect them, and we'll continue to do that. And yes, HIMARS has been part of it in the past, and it very well could be part of HIMARS in the future, Kirby said.
"Let's be absolutely clear here. According to Kirby, Russia is at war with Ukraine. He calls it "BS." scorned as "a group of
"Its subject is the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And it was initiated by Russia. According to Kirby, the Ukrainian people have experienced violence at the hands of Russia.
