On March 1, Russian occupiers struck a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Ukrainian military personnel were present. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have initiated an investigation.
This was reported by the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty.
“The tragedy at the training ground is a horrific consequence of an enemy strike. War demands swift decisions, accountability, and new safety standards; otherwise, we lose more than we possess,” he emphasized.
Drapaty expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and their comrades, and announced that an investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy is underway.
“I am personally monitoring every step to uncover the details minute by minute. Because it hurts me too. Because anger eats away at me from within. I awaited the initial data to avoid being baseless, and now I must warn: everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who failed to make them in a timely manner, will be held accountable. No one will escape behind explanations or formal reports,” the commander assured.
Drapaty ordered an inspection involving military counterintelligence to ensure that “no detail goes unnoticed” and that the guilty parties cannot “get away with it.” The Commander of the Ground Forces added that he would demand the strictest punishment.
The military noted, “we are witnessing decisions made too late and lessons unlearned.” He urged generals, officers, sergeants, and soldiers of the Ground Forces to rid themselves of formalism, bureaucracy, and “carelessness.”
In the Ground Forces, it was clarified that there are fatalities and injuries as a result of the Russian strike.
“A thorough investigation is currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the incident. The military law enforcement and security agencies are being provided with all necessary information to ensure maximum transparency of the investigation,” they stated.
On March 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the occupiers struck the “Novomoskovsk” military training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region with an “Iskander-M” missile. It is alleged that soldiers from the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were undergoing military training there.
Subsequently, Ukrainian MP Marianna Bezuhla wrote about the “next death” of military personnel “due to a strike during formation.” She did not specify which incident her message referred to.
Journalist Yuriy Butusov claims that the 168th Reserve Battalion is stationed at the training ground in the village of Cherkasske, where almost all the soldiers are individuals who have deserted their unit and are attempting to relocate to another.
According to him, the number of injured after the strike is around 130, with more than 30 fatalities.
Butusov stated that for a long time, there were many people at the training ground, a large accumulation of vehicles and tents, and at the same time, “no protection.”