Ukrainian Army confirms deadly Russian missile strike on training ground
The Ukrainian Army has confirmed that Russian forces launched a missile strike on a training ground where Ukrainian soldiers were undergoing military exercises. Reports of the incident surfaced on Monday.
In a Facebook post, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, described the event as a "tragedy at the training ground" and extended his condolences to the families of the victims. He promised that those responsible would be held accountable and stated that an independent investigation is underway with the involvement of military counterintelligence. "I will demand the harshest punishment," Drapatyi pledged.
On the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, it was mentioned that on March 1, one of its units was "targeted by an enemy missile strike," resulting in both casualties and injuries.
While the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not disclosed the exact number of fatalities, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrayinska Pravda suggests there are potentially "several dozen fatalities and up to a hundred injuries."
On March 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced via Telegram that an Iskander ballistic missile strike was conducted on the "Novomoskovsky" military training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The location is near the village of Cherkasske, approximately 35 kilometers northeast of the city of Dnipro.
Russian military sources claim they targeted the 157th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with casualties reportedly up to 150 people, "including up to 30 foreign instructors."