British intelligence reveals number of Russian soldiers killed in strike on barracks in Makiivka on January 1

The British Ministry of Defense shared the information on Twitter. 

In its daily report, British intelligence notes that Russia probably lost more than 300 soldiers during the strike on the Russian barracks in Makiivka on January 1, 2023. 

"We assess that the majority were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded," the British intelligence emphasized. 

It also noted that after the strike, the Russian Defense Ministry took a rare step and publicly announced 89 people had been killed. Russian officials did so because it was impossible to avoid commenting amid criticism of the military command over the incident. 

"The difference between the number of casualties Russia acknowledged and the likely true total highlights the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements. This typically comes about through a combination of deliberate lying authorised by senior leaders, and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russia’s ‘blame and sack’ culture," the British intelligence concluded. 

• On January 1, on New Year's Eve, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had hit vocational school No. 19, which Russian troops had turned into a barracks in Makiivka, Donetsk region, with HIMARS.