Sharp criticism also came from military bloggers. Former Russian commander Igor Girkin, one of the most influential bloggers, criticized the fact that ammunition was stored next to the barracks despite being within range of Ukrainian missiles. Blogger Archangel Spetznaz Z, who has over 700,000 followers on Telegram, wrote: “Who came up with the idea of putting many soldiers in a building where even a fool understands that even if an artillery hit there will be many wounded or dead?”
Mourning rallies were held in several Russian cities on Tuesday. In Samara, where several victims came from, flowers were laid in the city center, RIA Novosti news agency reported.