Commander of the Land Forces Mykhaylo Drapatyy acknowledged the Russian attack on the training ground. He did not disclose the location of the strike but expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and their comrades.
According to Drapatyy, the investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy is ongoing. He assured that he was personally overseeing every step to uncover the details.
“I was waiting for the first data to avoid making unfounded claims, and now I must issue a warning: everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who failed to make them on time, will be held accountable. No one will be able to hide behind explanations or formal reports,” he said.
Drapatyy appointed an inspection involving military counterintelligence to ensure that no detail is overlooked and that those responsible are identified and cannot “get away with it”.
“I will demand the most severe punishment. Those who continue to carry out their duties negligently and formally after years of war, those who ‘drag’ the military into outdated procedures while neglecting their safety, those who assert themselves not in battle but by oppressing their subordinates - they all disgrace the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” he said.
The Army reported on Facebook that the missile attack took place on 1 March, resulting in both fatalities and injuries.
“On 1 March, one of the units of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine became the target of a Russian missile attack. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded,” the statement said.
A thorough investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the incident. According to journalist Yuriy Butusov, the Russians attacked a training ground in Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Novynarnya reports. He stated that around 30 soldiers were killed and about 100 others wounded. The 168th Reserve Battalion, which largely consisted of soldiers who had returned after unauthorised abandonment of a military unit (UAU), was stationed at this training ground.
According to volunteer Serhiy Sternenko, the Russian military used a drone to adjust the missile strike. The training ground is located more than 100 kilometres from the contact line.