The Russian military claims its soldiers use of mobile phones led to the attack

The Kremlin is facing unprecedented criticism after one of the deadliest attacks on its troops since the Ukraine war began. Kyiv, and Russian bloggers, claim the death toll is in the hundreds.

The rare announcement of heavy losses by the Russian military in the occupied Ukrainian village of Makiivka was met with increasing criticism from Russian nationalists on Tuesday.

Russian rescue teams were still searching among the devastation on Tuesday morning after Ukraine fired several US-provided HIMARS rockets toward the town in the partially occupied region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry disclosed on Monday that 63 soldiers had been killed in the attack, although Russian military bloggers and Ukraine claimed that the death toll was much higher.

The death toll was later updated to 89, with the Defense Ministry blaming the use of mobile phones by Russian soldiers, contrary to a ban, for the attack.

What is likely one of the deadliest attacks on Russian forces since the war began has sparked criticism of the Russian military's high command, with one nationalist Russian blogger slamming their "incompetence."

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