The missile attack on Russian forces in Makiivka that Moscow said had killed 89 people was “highly likely” to have had more than 300 casualties, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported.
The case highlighted “the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.
The Defense Ministry wrote: “This usually occurs through a combination of deliberate lies authorized by senior leadership and the passing of inaccurate reports by younger officials, keen to minimize their failures in the ‘blame and fire’ culture. From Russia”.
The ministry said that after the attack on Russian troop accommodation near the city of Donetsk on January 1, Russia’s Defense Ministry took the “rare step” of publicly acknowledging that it had suffered casualties, stating that 89 had been killed. .
“Russian officials likely assessed that it was not feasible to avoid comment in the face of widespread criticism from Russian commanders over the incident,” the UK ministry said.
Of the victims, the ministry said it believed most were likely dead or missing, rather than injured.
This announcement comes after the European Union’s defense chief said that Russia is now engaged in “a war against NATO and the West.”
Stefano Sannino, the secretary general of the EU’s foreign action service, suggested that Vladimir Putin had gone beyond his initial “special military operation” and was “taking the war to a different stage.”
Sannino spoke as Canada became the latest country to pledge tanks and Poland said it would give an additional 60 to the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.
Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard 2s they will send to Ukraine in the coming days.
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