Russia’s claims of 600 dead Ukrainians are in doubt amid reports attack missed its target 

Desperate Russian claims that its forces wiped out 600 Ukrainian troops in a revenge attack were in tatters last night following reports the strike had missed its target.

Moscow announced that it had struck a temporary barracks in response to Ukraine taking out up to 400 Russians in a missile strike on New Year’s Eve.

But in a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, Ukrainian officials dismissed the claim as ‘not true’ as journalists on the ground picked apart the propaganda.

Russia’s defence ministry announced yesterday that ‘reconnaissance assets uncovered and reliably confirmed’ that 1,300 Ukrainians were in the two dormitories in Kramatorsk, Donetsk, with 600 reportedly killed.

Desperate Russian claims that its forces wiped out 600 Ukrainian troops in a revenge attack were in tatters last night following reports the strike had missed its target

But pictures suggest the claim was false and part of a desperate bid to win back public support after Kyiv’s devastating New Year’s Eve strike. 

Images showed the missiles did not score a direct hit – merely landing close by and blowing the windows out. 

There was no blood or any indication that troops had even been there, and locals said no ambulances were seen.

Kramatorsk mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko said the strikes had damaged two schools and eight apartments, but nobody had been injured. 

Images showed the missiles did not score a direct hit – merely landing close by and blowing the windows out

Moscow announced that it had struck a temporary barracks in response to Ukraine taking out up to 400 Russians in a missile strike on New Year’s Eve

Finnish journalist Antti Kuronen, who visited the site, said it would be ‘strange’ if the building had housed soldiers as it ‘isn’t even insulated’.

Ukrainian troops are trained not to gather in large numbers within range of artillery guns.

The Russians made such a mistake on New Year’s Eve, which allowed the Ukrainian strike to kill up to 400 of their troops in Makiivka, Donetsk. 

The strikes had damaged two schools and eight apartments, but nobody had been injured 

Serhii Cherevatyi, Ukrainian Joint Forces spokesman, said: ‘The Russian information is not true. 

The Russian army attacked Kramatorsk with seven missiles at 11.30pm. But it did not have any impact on the Ukrainian army.’

The attack came after three died in Russian strikes that broke the Kremlin’s own pledge of a 36-hour ceasefire until 11pm on Orthodox Christmas on Saturday.