Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on March 1 during a formation exercise, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, said on March 3.
A day earlier, reports of a Russian attack with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on a training ground in the village of Cherkaske near the regional center of Dnipro began circulated on social media. The strike was allegedly carried out after an Orlan drone spotted a formation of soldiers about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the front line.
Drapatyi did not disclose the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed and injured. He added that the truth about the attack could be hidden "in the fog of bureaucracy" but promised to prevent this.
"A tragedy at a training ground is a terrible consequence of an enemy strike. The war requires quick decisions, responsibility, and new safety standards; otherwise, we will lose more than we have," Drapatyi said.
Drapatyi added he had launched an investigation into the circumstances of the strike and appointed an independent review with the participation of military counterintelligence.
"Everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who did not make them on time, will be held accountable. No one will hide behind explanations or formal reports," he said.
Timothy Ash
Later on March 3, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said the head of the unit training center that was hit and the commander of the military unit had been suspended from duty.
"In the middle of the day, on March 1, the enemy attacked one of the military units on the territory of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region," he said.
"As a result of the hit of the Iskander-M ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions, there are dead and wounded," he added.
Also on March 3, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation announced it was opening criminal proceedings into the "death and injury of Ukrainian servicemen as a result of a Russian missile strike on a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region."
This is not the first time Russia has attacked Ukrainian troops while they are lining up in the rear.
On November 3, 2023, in a village near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces attacked a group of soldiers. As a result of the Russian missile strike, 19 soldiers of the 128th Brigade and two civilians were killed.
According to an investigation by Ukraine's Defense Ministry, the soldiers were gathered in the courtyard of a house during an awards ceremony while all camouflage rules were ignored.
Chris York
