Russia: 89 Killed in Ukraine’s New Year Attack, Mobile Phones Main Reason

By Staff, Agencies

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that “Eighty-nine died in an attack on Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine on New Year’s Day.”

“The attack came about after Russian soldiers used their cell phones and gave away their location to Ukraine’s military,” according to Russia’s Lieutenant General Sergei Sevryukov.

He further stated that Ukrainian forces used US-made HIMARS rocket systems on the village of Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region, shortly after the clock struck midnight on January 1.

“Currently, a commission is working to investigate the circumstances of what has happened,” he said.

However, Makiivka clarified that “But it is already obvious that the main reason for what has happened was the turning on and massive use by personnel of mobile phones within reach of enemy weapons contrary to the ban.”

Many of the casualties were freshly mobilized reserve forces, reports said.