The Russian Ministry of Defense claims to have “avenged” the murdered Russian mobilized who died in the dormitory of a vocational school in Makiyivka on the night of January 1, 2023. Russian propagandists write about a “retaliation strike” against Kramatorsk, which allegedly killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers. But these statements by the Russian Ministry of Defense are fake, refuted by foreign media, the Ukrainian army leadership, and even Russian “patriotic channels”.

According to Ihor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian artillery hit dormitories No. 28 and No. 47 in Kramatorsk. But four film crews of foreign media - Antti Kuronen, a Finnish journalist from the Yle television and radio company, CNN journalists, Daniele Raineri, a correspondent for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, and Reuters journalists - visited these two buildings and did not find any evidence of the death or injury of Ukrainian military or civilians. Moreover, both buildings are almost unscathed - only one had broken windows, the other building was not damaged at all. Local residents heard the explosions, but did not see any ambulances or the work of rescuers. Russian missiles definitely hit near the buildings: one crater is located near the school, the other missile, judging by the photographs, hit the garage. The Grey Zone telegram channel, close to Wagner's private military company, wrote that although the hostel buildings themselves were not destroyed, the Russian command “should hold their noses, since the decision-making center is probably located in the garage”. Other z-patriotic channels called Konashenkov's statements a lie. The Ukrainian army also said that the Russian Ministry of Defense is lying.