Ukraine war: Deadly Russian strike puts Kyiv military chiefs under increasing pressure

A recent Russian missile strike that is thought to have resulted in significant Ukrainian casualties has drawn increasing criticism for Ukraine’s military chiefs.

More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers are reported to have died at Friday’s award ceremony close to the southern frontlines by Russian military bloggers and Ukrainian media.

The number of people killed in what it calls a “tragedy” in the Zaporizhzhia area has not yet been disclosed by the Ukrainian military.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the tragedy “could have been avoided”.

The Ukrainian leader said, “Criminal proceedings have been initiated,” in a social media post on Sunday.

“Every soldier in the combat zone – in the enemy’s line of fire and aerial reconnaissance – knows how to behave in the open, how to ensure safety.”

Numerous Ukrainian soldiers and military specialists argue that the ceremony wasn’t appropriate to hold in a strike-risk region.

They claim that Ukrainian officers ought to have known that Russian drones are continuously observing the actions of Ukrainian troops close to the front lines in order to direct artillery and aerial strikes.

Now, footage from a drone appears on a Russian Telegram channel, allegedly capturing the same moment of the fatal attack during what appeared to be an outdoor ceremony.

There are also numerous bodies visible on the ground that are thought to be those of Ukrainian servicemen.

The strike has not received an official response from the Russian military.

Rustem Umerov, the minister of defence for Ukraine, verified in the media on Saturday that 128th Mountain Assault Brigade “Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia)” soldiers had been slain on Friday.

He also commanded a “full investigation” into what he called a “tragedy” in a statement.

The attack was carried out, according to Ukraine’s Strategic Command (StratCom), using a Russian short-range ballistic missile, the Iskander-M. Numerous non-combatants suffered injuries.

READ ALSO: Russian Missile Attack in Kharkiv Results in 6 Deaths and 14 Injuries

Although this has not been formally confirmed, Ukrainian legislator Mykhailo Volynets claimed on Sunday that the incident claimed the lives of 28 individuals and injured 53 others.

“Establish the complete truth about what happened and prevent such incidents from happening again” was the stated goal of President Zelensky.

128th Brigade has not yet made a formal statement regarding the matter.

In the westernmost area of Ukraine, the Transcarpathia, where many of the dead are thought to have originated, three days of mourning have been announced.

Although the strike’s location has not been made public by Kyiv, reports in Ukrainian media suggest that it occurred in a village close to the front line.

According to Russian bloggers, it was the settlement of Dymytrovo, which Ukraine renamed Zarichne in 2016.

It is thought that the strike took place while Ukrainian troops were commemorating Artillery Day, which honours those who serve in the artillery and missile units of the armed forces.

There was “a pile of dead officers and soldiers” following the Russian hit, according to a Facebook post made on Saturday by Ruslan Kahanets, the leader of Sonechko (Sun), a volunteer battalion from Ukraine.

In addition, he shared images of torched cars and dead soldiers.

Additionally, a video of a Ukrainian soldier who appears to be from a nearby brigade publicly criticises officials for setting up the alleged award ceremony has surfaced.

According to the unidentified soldier, “everyone who is here will tell you this,” frontline communities are being hit “methodically and regularly.”

“As a result of this [ceremony] line-up, many Ukrainian defenders and civilians died” .

Since “everyone on the frontlines knows that a crowd of more than two people always provokes a ‘arrival’ [‘strike,’ in military jargon],” he questions the officers who had organised the crowd.

Well-known Ukrainian volunteer Serhiy Sternenko proposed on Saturday that the commander in charge of the ceremony should spend the rest of his life in prison.

“Numerous instances akin to this have previously occurred. Sadly. There will be more of these occurrences in the absence of structural improvements, he stated.

Many Ukrainian social media users have expressed their ire and called for the award ceremony’s organisers to face consequences.

“Who brought them there, and why is the name of this individual being hidden? Who took the initiative? Are these individuals now being looked into?” a user stated.

“How was it possible to gather ALL of our warriors in one place?” was written by another.

More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers are reportedly dead, according to Russian military bloggers.

On Sunday, a blogger proposed that the military chiefs of Ukraine ought to contemplate “why such incidents have become more frequent.”

Another blogger who supported the Kremlin stated that “Earlier, Ukrainians had repeatedly “punished” Russians in a similar manner. And we soon stopped huddling and started staring up at the sky, forgetting even to queue outside.