It was supposed to be a pleasant break in an otherwise gray and cold everyday war in eastern Ukraine. Soldiers and officers from the 810 brigade of the Russian defense had gathered in what was once the cultural center in the small Ukrainian village of Kumachevo. The village is located in the part of Donetsk county that has been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. 40-year-old Polina Menshikh is known as both a singer and dancer. Photo: Studio Portal The main attraction at the event on the Rocket and Artillery Forces Day was the Russian singer Polina Menshikh. Menshikh had come down from Moscow especially for this occasion. According to Russian military bloggers, it is not the first time she has shown her support for what is called in Russia the special operation SVO. Ukraine has long-range missiles But Ukrainian intelligence must have had a sniff of something happening in Kumachevo this Sunday. Although the village is initially far behind the front, the organizer had probably miscalculated the capacity that the Ukrainian defense now has. Kumachevo is located in the far east of the Donbas area in Ukraine, close to the border with Russia. Ukraine has received long-range missiles of the type HIMARS and ATACMS from the United States, in addition to Storm Shadows missiles from the United Kingdom. And in the middle of Menshikh’s concert on Sunday, it crashed. The whole thing was filmed by one of those present, before it all went black. Now the news agency Tass also confirms that Polina Menschikh was killed in what is only described as a Ukrainian attack. Polina Menschikh just before the venue she was performing in was hit by a Ukrainian rocket. Photo: Screenshot Many Russian soldiers killed The news agency Tass writes that it was precisely an attack from a Ukrainian HIMARS battery belonging to the 27th artillery brigade in the Ukrainian defense that hit Kumachevo. Tass does not write anything about it being a military event that Menshikh participated in. But several Russian military bloggers say that in addition to the singer, many soldiers were also killed in the attack. Ukrainian sources write about at least 25 soldiers killed and at least 100 wounded. Response to Russian attack From the Ukrainian side, the whole thing is described as thanks for the last time, after a Russian rocket killed 19 Ukrainian soldiers on 4 November, who had gathered to receive medals. While the situation along the more than 1,000 kilometer long front in Ukraine has been relatively stable for a long time, it seems that Ukraine in particular is now, with the help of long-range missiles from, among others, the United States, able to force the Russian defense to withdraw positions behind the front. The attack on a helicopter base in Berdjansk meant that the Russian air force now has to operate much further from the front line. Russia has also reportedly withdrawn many of its naval vessels from the Sea of Azov and the Krym Peninsula.
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Was going to celebrate the day of the Russian rocket and artillery forces – then it crashed – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
