In a recent escalation of conflict, Ukrainian armed forces have reported a deadly missile strike from Russia targeting a military training unit. The attack, which occurred late on Tuesday, has resulted in confirmed casualties, including three servicemen killed and 18 wounded. The location of this training ground was not officially disclosed, but reports from Ukrainian war journalist Andrei Taplienko suggest that it is situated in the Chernihiv region, which lies to the north of Kyiv and borders both Belarus and Russia.
Russia's Ministry of Defence has claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing video footage that allegedly depicts the strike from an Iskander ballistic missile. The video reportedly shows over 20 cluster-type explosions; however, its authenticity has not been verified. Furthermore, the Russian MOD contended that the casualty figures provided by Ukraine were significantly lower than the reality, though there has been no updated information from Ukrainian military officials since the initial report.
Despite efforts to secure the training location, Ukrainian ground forces lamented that losses among personnel were unavoidable due to the nature of military operations. This strike represents the third such attack on Ukrainian training units within a span of just over two months. In previous incidents, a missile strike in the northern Sumy region resulted in the deaths of six servicemen in May, while another earlier strike caused 12 fatalities and injured around 60 personnel.
The sensitivity surrounding the protection of troops during training exercises has prompted a response from Ukrainian military leadership, who have stated they will investigate whether negligence by officials contributed to the casualties resulting from this missile attack. Last month, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, stepped down following a similar tragic incident, lamenting that many of the victims were young recruits in training at the time of the attack.
