Russian authorities blame Makiivka strike on soldiers' cell phone use as death toll climbs to 89

The number of Russian soldiers killed by the Ukrainian military’s New Year’s Day strike on Makiivka has risen to 89, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. On January 2, the ministry reported that 63 soldiers had died from the attack.

“Unfortunately, during the course of sorting through the ruins of the reinforced concrete construction, the number of our comrades who [are confirmed to have been] killed rose to 89. The deputy regimental commander Lieutenant Colonel Bachurin was among the dead,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The agency claimed that the Ukrainian strike was made possible by the “widespread use, in defiance of a ban, of mobile phones by personnel in range of the enemy’s weapons.” This reportedly allowed the Ukrainian military to determine the coordinates of the barracks that were hit by the strike.

The Russian state news agency TASS previously reported that the attack was the result of “servicemembers’ high cellular activity,” citing law enforcement from the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic.”

“The necessary measures are being taken to prevent these kinds of tragic events in the future. The officials responsible will be held accountable following an investigation,” said the Russian Defense Ministry.