First, the mayor of the targeted town, Oleksandr Honcharenko, claimed that only two schools had been damaged as well as eight apartments and garages: “There were no casualties,” he added.
On the spot, several journalists present abounded in this direction.
Antti Kuronen, correspondent for Finnish national channel Yle, described the situation in a series of tweets: “I’m there and it’s strange that the building (one of the schools affected, editor’s note) has not been closed. Residents did not see any ambulances either. I heard the explosions last night when this site was hit but there was no direct impact,” he wrote. “Military contacts visited the site this morning and said the school was empty. Another missile also hit old garages. I have to say that at this point I trust my own observations and Ukrainian statements more than Russian statements,” he said.
Russia claims it killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers in a missile strike on this school in Kramatorsk. I’m there and it’s a bit strange that the building isn’t even insulated. Locals didn’t see any ambulances here in the morning either. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/YHGxVy1ca6
— Antti Kuronen (@YLEKuronen) January 8, 2023
Another missile hit in front of these old garages. I must say that at this point I trust my own observations and Ukraine’s statements more than the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim regarding more than 600 dead Ukrainian soldiers. pic.twitter.com/k3xR9s2nNS
— Antti Kuronen (@YLEKuronen) January 8, 2023
A CNN team also contradicts the Russian report: “There is no unusual activity in and around Kramatorsk, including near the city morgue,” it says.
Finally, several correspondents from the Archyde.com news agency went to the scene and claimed that the strikes had missed their targets. Words corroborated by Italian journalist Daniele Raineri for La Repubblica: “The missiles made big holes in the ground and did not hit the surrounding buildings. The places are empty,” he concluded.
checking the second place, dormitory 47: the Russian missile missed the target, once more. There’s a big hole in front of the building, the place is empty. That’s all from Kramatorsk pic.twitter.com/mgBT4Qpbtr
— Daniele Raineri (@DanieleRaineri) January 8, 2023
