State Bureau of Investigation launches investigation into Russian strike on training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Law enforcement officers have opened a criminal case regarding the Russian strike on a training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where Ukrainian soldiers were stationed, as reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.
The case is being investigated into the death and injury of Ukrainian service members as a result of a missile strike on a training ground. Investigative actions are currently underway, and a special joint group of law enforcement officers is working at the scene.
"The State Bureau of Investigation emphasizes the importance of a thorough and impartial investigation to establish all the circumstances of the tragedy and bring those responsible to justice," the law enforcement agency said in a statement.
Earlier, the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that there were dead and wounded as a result of the Russian strike. Commander of the Ground Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and their fellows soldiers.
He also ordered an inspection with the participation of military counterintelligence, so that “no detail is left unattended” and the guilty cannot “get away with it.” Drapatyi added that he would demand the harshest punishment.
What is known about the strike?
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on March 1 that the Russian military had used an Iskander-M missile to strike the Novomoskovsk military training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Servicemen of the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were allegedly undergoing military training there.
Later, Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla wrote about “another death” of servicemen “due to an airstrike during formation.” She did not specify which incident her report referred to.
Journalist Yuriy Butusov claims that the 168th Reserve Battalion is stationed at the training ground in the village of Cherkaske, where almost all the service members are people who voluntarily left their previous military unit and are trying to transfer to another.
According to him, the number of people injured after the attack is about 130, more than 30 of them died.
Butusov stated that for a long time there were many people at the training ground, a large concentration of vehicles and tarpaulin tents, and at the same time "no protection."