Russia’s Defense Ministry has attempted to deflect anger about a devastating missile attack that killed 89 of its soldiers in Ukraine by saying troops’ cell phone use was to blame. The New Year’s Eve strike on a temporary barracks in Makiivka, eastern Ukraine, using U.S.-made HIMARS rockets is the deadliest single incident that Moscow has acknowledged since its invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, though officials initially said only 63 had been killed. Furious Russian lawmakers and commentators excoriated commanders for the massive loss of life, but a statement released by the country’s Defense Ministry early Wednesday said phone use by its servicemen—which the ministry said was illegal—directly led to the hit. “This factor allowed the enemy to track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers’ location for a missile strike,” the statement read.
