In Makiivka, Russia suffered one of its worst military losses since invasion of Ukraine - NYT

That's according to an article published by The New York Times, Ukrinform reports.

"As Russia took stock of one of its worst military losses since the invasion of Ukraine, the initial outpouring of anger began to settle into a familiar pattern on Tuesday, focusing on the West, and on what critics describe as incompetent officials rather than the man overseeing the war effort: President Vladimir Putin," the article reads.

Relatives of mobilized soldiers who died or went missing in the rocket strike on their base in the occupied Ukrainian town of Makiivka gathered in the central Russia city of Samara.

At the memorial service in Samara, about a hundred participants waved Russian flags, coordinated aid collection for survivors and called for revenge, according to videos and local media reports. Local media did not mention any criticism of the officials responsible for the war.

"The entire West has closed ranks against us in order to destroy us," Yekaterina Kolotovkina, the head of a soldiers' humanitarian fund and the wife of a Russian general fighting in Ukraine told the Samara rally, echoing a main theme of state propaganda.

According to experts, the speed with which the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement with estimated losses suggested the government "is trying to control the narrative and prevent it from feeding wider social discontent."

Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in its latest daily report on Monday that "profound military failures" such as Makiivka could make it harder for Putin to placate concerns among some vocal war supporters that Russia's military effort is under control.

"Putin's inability to address the criticism and fix the flaws in Russia's military campaign may undermine his credibility as a hands-on war leader," the group said.

On December 31, in Makiivka, Donetsk region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed and damaged up to ten pieces of enemy military equipment. According to reports on social media, the number of dead invaders reaches as many as 600.