Russia - Ukraine war: At least 60 Russian soldiers reported dead in missile attack

At least 60 Russian soldiers have died after two missiles fell in eastern Ukraine.

It is being said in the reports that these soldiers were present in the training area of the Russian-occupied part.

Sources having knowledge of this matter told that Russian soldiers were waiting for their senior commander in the Donetsk area.

A large number of dead people are visible in the video footage of this incident.

A Russian official has confirmed the missile attack but has described the media reports related to it as 'exaggerated'.

This attack happened a few hours before the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

During the meeting, Sergei Shoigu claimed Russia's success on some fronts. And he also talked about the recently captured Avdaviika area. However, he did not mention the incident in Donetsk area.

Reports say that the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Army was waiting for the arrival of its Major General Oleg Moiseev at the training center near the village of Trudovske.

A soldier who narrowly escaped the attack said in a video made later that the brigade commander made him stand under the open sky. Two missiles reportedly fell here, which were fired from the American-made HIMARS launch system.

The governor of the area indirectly confirmed the attack on his Telegram channel but described the reports as exaggerated. Without giving the actual number of casualties, he said that accurate information would be given to the families of the soldiers affected by the attack.

Russia gains full control of Ukrainian town of Avdiivka 

Earlier, on Sunday Russia said it had full control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew though Moscow said that some Ukrainian troops were still holed up in a vast Soviet-era coke plant after one of the most intense battles of the war.

The fall of Avdiivka is Russia’s biggest gain since capturing the city of Bakhmut in May 2023, and comes almost two years to the day since President Vladimir Putin triggered a full-scale war by ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s defense ministry said its troops had advanced 8.6 km in that part of the 1,000-km front line, and that Russian troops were pressing forward after a deadly urban battle that has left the town an almost completely depopulated wreck.