Russia raids Ukrainian military award ceremony, 20 soldiers killed

A Russian Iskander-M missile leaves the launch pad (Illustration photo: Russian Ministry of Defense ).

Russian troops launched an attack on Ukrainian soldiers in a frontline village in Zaporizhia on November 3, Ukrainska Pravda reported. During the event, Kiev servicemen gathered at a location to attend an award ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the Artillery and Missile Forces of Ukraine (November 3).

According to preliminary reports, at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers appear to have been killed in the attack.

A video posted on social media shows a soldier saying the attack happened when the Ukrainian army wanted to honor a brigade stationed on the front line.

Ukrainska Pravda 's source in the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the incident: "More than 20 soldiers were reportedly killed at 10-11 am on November 3 (Kiev time) during the award ceremony for soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhia region."

The 128th Brigade, the unit that was attacked, has not yet officially commented on the incident. Later, the Strategic Communications Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom) also reported on the incident.

According to the announcement, Russia attacked soldiers of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade with Iskander-M missiles, killing several servicemen and injuring many others.

On the evening of November 4, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov expressed condolences to the families of Ukrainian soldiers of the 128th Brigade killed in the Russian attack on November 3.

"I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade. All details related to the incident will be reviewed. I have instructed the Ministry of National Defense's inspection agency to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this incident," he wrote on Facebook.

Concentrating a large number of soldiers in one location near the front line is considered quite risky because it could become a target of attack if discovered by enemy intelligence.

Russia has not commented on the above information.

The Iskander missile is one of the most modern operational-tactical ballistic missiles equipped in the Russian army today.

Iskander is a ballistic missile with very high accuracy (deviation from the target center is only 5-7m) and can fly 6-7 times faster than the speed of sound. In addition, this missile can carry multiple nuclear warheads.

The Iskander missile has a range of about 500km and a powerful warhead that can destroy large structures and fortified enemy positions. The Iskander can fire on two different targets within one minute.

The special feature of this missile line is its ability to fly without a conventional trajectory, making it very difficult to intercept and the missile is controlled throughout the entire flight.

Currently, there are three versions of the Iskander in circulation, including the standard Iskander-M version with a range of 415km, and the more advanced Iskander-K version with a range of 500km. In addition, Russia also manufactures a separate Iskander-E version for export with a maximum range of only 280km.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-tap-kich-le-trao-thuong-cua-quan-doi-ukraine-20-binh-si-thiet-mang-20231105195252481.htm