The Russian defence ministry says mobile phones utilized by their ain forces allowed Ukraine to destruct a building, sidesplitting dozens of conscripts successful the eastbound metropolis of Makiivka.
"This origin allowed the force to find and find the co-ordinates of the subject unit for a rocket strike," it said successful a statement.
Ukraine said astir 400 Russian subject unit were killed successful the onslaught connected New Year's Day. The Russian authorities said 89 radical died.
Could mobile phones person located the soldiers?
There person been wide reports successful Western media since the opening of the warfare astir some sides' abilities to intercept and geo-locate telephone calls for targeting purposes.
In March past year, weeks aft the commencement of the invasion, the New York Times quoted an unnamed American official saying the Ukrainians had been capable to intercept the telephone of a Russian general, geo-locate it, and termination him and his staff.
Also successful March, a Sky News portion highlighted the Russian Leer-3 strategy which flies drones supra the people area, which tin mimic mobile telephone receiver masts, and instrumentality phones to pass with them.
These drones tin past relay this accusation to a basal presumption successful adjacent harmless territory, from wherever the positions of the phones tin past beryllium located.
But portion it's wide believed that some sides person the quality to way mobile phones, immoderate commentators person expressed doubts astir this mentation for the Makiivka attack.
The BBC Russian work has spoken earlier to recently mobilised conscripts, who accidental that their phones are taken distant arsenic soon arsenic they get astatine their units.
But astatine the aforesaid time, determination person besides been reports of Russians utilizing mobile phones astatine the beforehand due to the fact that of the deficiency of different equipment. That mightiness explicate wherefore immoderate conscripts could person retained theirs.
Russian authorities look to blasted their soldiers' ain usage of mobile phones. But if true, that begs the question wherefore was subject was truthful lax?
Most militaries enforce the value of operational information and idiosyncratic information portion connected operations - including limiting the usage of mobile phones.
There appears to person been different lapses too. A ample attraction of troops successful 1 building, wherever ammunition was besides stored, would person made an evident target.
Movements and patterns of beingness could person been observed by outer oregon drones. While long-range rockets similar Himars person helped Ukraine, it's the quality down those strikes that person made the existent difference.
The onslaught connected Makiivka shows that Russia is inactive struggling to larn from past mistakes. This is not the archetypal clip the Ukrainians person targeted a subject barracks.
But 1 happening has changed. Justin Crump, caput of the information consultancy Sibyline, says the disapproval wrong Russia shows there's present little tolerance of specified incompetence.
However, alternatively than focussing connected the nonaccomplishment of life, galore critics successful Russia spot it arsenic a justification for escalation.
What was destroyed successful the attack?
The Russian ministry of defence says the Ukrainians deed a impermanent subject office successful Makiivka.
One video of the aftermath shows a gathering wholly destroyed by the attack. Commenters connected societal media rapidly identified it arsenic Vocational School No 19.
Searching for that sanction online threw up a photograph that we compared with a outer representation of the gathering astatine the onslaught tract (prior to its destruction) to find a match.
There's nary disposable grounds pointing to ample amounts of ammunition had been stored successful the building.
But successful a tweet the UK ministry of defence said this script was imaginable "given the grade of the damage" to the site.
US missiles were used, says Russia
The Russian authorities accidental that a Himars rocket system, provided to Ukraine by the United States, was utilized successful the attack.
Shortly aft the strike, the Ukrainian defence ministry published a tweet showing a rocket launch, with the azygous connection of text: "Surprise".
Himars - the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System - is simply a rocket launcher mounted connected a five-tonne motortruck which tin occurrence six guided missiles successful speedy succession.
The missiles supplied to Ukraine person a scope of up to 50 miles (80 km), which is implicit doubly the scope of the howitzers which the US has antecedently fixed to Ukraine.
The US has committed to supplying Ukraine with 38 of these systems, and it's been reported that 20 person been delivered since the commencement of the conflict.