A Russian missile strike has tragically hit a Ukrainian military training unit, causing a number of casualties and raising serious questions about troop safety. On Tuesday evening, Ukrainian ground forces confirmed three service members were killed and eighteen were wounded.
While the military didn’t disclose the training ground’s exact location, Ukrainian war reporter Andrei Taplienko stated it was in the Chernihiv region. This area, north of Kyiv, borders both Russia and Belarus, making it a frequent target.
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Russia’s Ministry of Defense released a video, claiming it showed an Iskander ballistic missile strike in a wooded area with over 20 cluster explosions. This video couldn’t be immediately verified. The Russian MOD also asserted that Ukrainian casualties were far higher than reported, though Ukraine’s military hasn’t provided further updates since Tuesday evening.
“Despite the security measures taken, unfortunately it was not possible to completely avoid losses among the personnel,” Ukraine’s ground forces announced on social media.
This marks the third Russian attack on a Ukrainian training unit in just over two months. An Iskander missile attack in May killed six servicemen in the northern Sumy region, and another strike last month killed twelve people and wounded sixty more.
Protecting troops during exercises is a highly sensitive matter for the military. Following Tuesday’s missile strike, an investigation will determine if “actions or inaction of officials” led to the deaths or injuries. The severity of these incidents was highlighted by the resignation of Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi after last month’s deadly attack. He noted that the victims were “young guys from a training battalion” and most were in shelters at the time, underscoring the profound impact on new recruits.
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