Attack on horse club: third drone kills horses that survived first strikes
Among the horses killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv Oblast was a mare previously rescued from Bucha, the All-Ukrainian Equestrian Federation reported on Monday.
One of the killed mares, Malachita, was set to compete in the Ukrainian championship for children and teenagers in three weeks.
“Her young owner buried her today, along with her dreams. Another incurable wound to a child’s soul in the war’s toll,” the federation stated.
Another horse, Freili, rescued and evacuated from Bucha early in the war, was among the casualties.
“A loyal, hardworking mare who never threw a rider. The second damned drone hit right beside her. A plate labeled ‘Geran’ with a serial number lies nearby,” the statement read.
Bosfor, the club’s most promising horse at Endurance Horse Sport Club, was pierced by a dozen shrapnel fragments. Two other horses beside him, lying in a pool of blood, had broken legs and empty, gouged-out pupils.
“After the second strike, this small herd was still alive. Surveillance cameras captured the terrified horses bolting to the arena. That’s where the third drone struck, as if some monster was guiding it, deliberately targeting the horses,” the federation noted.
The club’s owner, Yuliya Tolpyha, told hromadske that seven sport horses were killed, with two surviving unharmed. No human casualties or fires were reported.
Russian forces attacked the club with three Shahed drones, striking sequentially.
“Yes, the drones hit their target precisely, as [the occupiers] reported. Yes, it’s a strategic target, because these horses terribly interfered with the enemy’s plan: during training, they helped rebuild children’s mental health and kept us from breaking down,” the federation said.
Background
From the evening of September 6 through the night, Russian forces launched 823 air attack assets on Ukraine: 810 Shahed kamikaze drones and decoy drones, nine Iskander-K cruise missiles, and four Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses neutralized most, but nine missiles and 56 attack drones hit 37 locations, with debris affecting eight sites.
Three people died in Kyiv, with over a dozen injured.
In Kryvyi Rih, three men were injured, and casualties were reported in Sumy and Zaporizhzhia from September 6 evening attacks.
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