Shoigu, Surovikin won't be responsible for death of mobilized Russian soldiers in Makiivka - military expert Kovalenko

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko said this on Espreso TV.

“It will not be possible to completely localize this situation - they will still look for the culprits. Russian propaganda still uses it in the narrative: “We will not forget, we will not forgive, and we will take revenge”. They can use this narrative for the next wave of mobilization taking place under this slogan - “We must take revenge for Makiivka” he noted.

In Kovalenko's opinion, this could start a repressive form of mobilization across Russia.

“Many Russian officials and the propaganda cloaca demand that someone be punished for this. They see that there were indeed problems with deployment and this caused such a large number of killed and wounded. One way or another, someone will be responsible for this. It will not be Surovikin or Shoigu one hundred percent, but an officer of lower or middle rank,” the expert concluded.

• Journalist Denys Kazanskyi reported that on New Year's Eve, Ukraine's Armed Forces hit the Russian barracks in the temporarily occupied Makiivka with HIMARS. According to information in local chats, as a result of the strike, hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed. 

• On January 2, the Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the death of 63 Russian servicemen in Makiivka.

• On January 3, the Russian Federation recognized the death of 89 servicemen in the temporarily occupied Makiivka in the Donetsk region on the night of January 1.