Drone footage shared on social media appeared to show at least four of the short-range ballistic missiles, armed with cluster warheads, smash the gathering of Russian troops in as little as 95 seconds.
Western analysts said the attack occurred on a Russian training centre in between the towns of Kuban and Mozhnyakivka, about 50 miles behind the front lines in the Donbas region of Luhansk.
The strikes reportedly killed 116 Russian troops, the US-based Institute for the Study of War think-tank wrote in a report on Wednesday.
# ‘Such strikes are crucial’
Neither the Russian nor Ukrainian defence ministries have commented on the reported attacks. But the surveillance footage from a Ukrainian drone showed a grouping of Russian forces and at least three armoured vehicles.
At first a dud missile appeared to smash into a field in the vicinity of the troops, sending a plume of dark smoke into the air. Shortly after comes a rapid burst of three explosions that blanket the area, with the distinctive smoke trails from cluster bomblets being scattered and detonated.
The Russian troops were preparing for an offensive on the neighbouring Kharkiv region, Oleksandr Musiienko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Military-Legal Studies, said.
“Such strikes in the Luhansk region are crucial,” he said. “It’s precisely in the territory of the northeastern part of the Luhansk region that Russia has been training and coordinating its units, which were specifically preparing for an escalation of hostilities in the Kharkiv region, where Russia plans to reinforce its advance.”
Gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.
I’m glad they nipped that assault in the bud, and I hope they continue to do so. However, all of this aid should have been given by March of 2022. It was at that point that it became obvious to everyone (paying even little attention) that Ukrainians would fight for their country.
I really wish we’d stop playing around and fully commit to keeping Ukraine’s sovereignty intact.
Ez dubs
Until we see actually bodies or ground footage. This is all speculations.
Oops
gg ez
Good day at the office
MONSTER KILL!
What do you call 100 dead Russians in Luhansk?
A good start.
Job done 🫡
Want to know how many were actually killed. Doubt it was all 116 present unfortunately.
Good day work
Although it is good it is also concerning. Strategically this is not a very good use for atacms. These 3 should have hit airfields. It might mean that there are no better targets they can hit, either out of range or in russia or too heavily defended? Its not a good sign that recently the atacms strikes don’t appear to have done anything strategically significant.
Beautiful. Lets add a couple of zeros to that number though!
17 comments
**From The Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent, Joe Barnes:**
More than 100 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed when a volley of [Atacms missiles](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/25/american-atacms-missiles-ukraine-test-russia-air-defence/) hit a training base in eastern Ukraine in one of the highest single losses of [Russian lives in months](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/russia-ukraine-war/).
Drone footage shared on social media appeared to show at least four of the short-range ballistic missiles, armed with cluster warheads, smash the gathering of Russian troops in as little as 95 seconds.
Ukraine has been begging the US for months to supply high-precision, long-range Atacms missiles, before they were [secretly shipped to Kyiv last month](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/24/joe-biden-us-secretly-sent-long-range-missiles-to-ukraine/).
Western analysts said the attack occurred on a Russian training centre in between the towns of Kuban and Mozhnyakivka, about 50 miles behind the front lines in the Donbas region of Luhansk.
The strikes reportedly killed 116 Russian troops, the US-based Institute for the Study of War think-tank wrote in a report on Wednesday.
# ‘Such strikes are crucial’
Neither the Russian nor Ukrainian defence ministries have commented on the reported attacks. But the surveillance footage from a Ukrainian drone showed a grouping of Russian forces and at least three armoured vehicles.
At first a dud missile appeared to smash into a field in the vicinity of the troops, sending a plume of dark smoke into the air. Shortly after comes a rapid burst of three explosions that blanket the area, with the distinctive smoke trails from cluster bomblets being scattered and detonated.
The Russian troops were preparing for an offensive on the neighbouring Kharkiv region, Oleksandr Musiienko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Military-Legal Studies, said.
“Such strikes in the Luhansk region are crucial,” he said. “It’s precisely in the territory of the northeastern part of the Luhansk region that Russia has been training and coordinating its units, which were specifically preparing for an escalation of hostilities in the Kharkiv region, where Russia plans to reinforce its advance.”
**Continue reading:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/02/more-than-100-russian-soldiers-killed-in-atacms-strike/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/02/more-than-100-russian-soldiers-killed-in-atacms-strike/)
Great day, more than 116
Gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.
I’m glad they nipped that assault in the bud, and I hope they continue to do so. However, all of this aid should have been given by March of 2022. It was at that point that it became obvious to everyone (paying even little attention) that Ukrainians would fight for their country.
I really wish we’d stop playing around and fully commit to keeping Ukraine’s sovereignty intact.
Ez dubs
Until we see actually bodies or ground footage. This is all speculations.
Oops
gg ez
Good day at the office
MONSTER KILL!
What do you call 100 dead Russians in Luhansk?
A good start.
Job done 🫡
Want to know how many were actually killed. Doubt it was all 116 present unfortunately.
Good day work
Although it is good it is also concerning. Strategically this is not a very good use for atacms. These 3 should have hit airfields. It might mean that there are no better targets they can hit, either out of range or in russia or too heavily defended? Its not a good sign that recently the atacms strikes don’t appear to have done anything strategically significant.
Beautiful. Lets add a couple of zeros to that number though!
Not nearly enough, IMO