Ukraine orders investigation into Russian attack on assault brigade

Reuters

Ukraine's defence minister ordered an investigation into an alleged Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian assault brigade, after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony.

"My condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a "full investigation".

In a separate statement on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's Armed Forces said that Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia region with the Iskander ballistic missile.

"Servicemen were killed, and local residents were also injured," the military said.

It was not clear how many soldiers died.

The statements came after a flurry of earlier reports on Ukrainian social media and from military bloggers that more than 20 soldiers were killed in a village close to the front lines in Zaporizhzhia during an award ceremony commemorating the Artillery Day on Friday.

In its daily reports on battlefield activities, the Russian Defence Ministry said only that Russian forces "inflicted fire" on a unit of Ukraine's assault brigade in the region, killing up to 30 military personnel.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

More from International News

News

  • 'Peace is not far away' says Erdogan after Putin meeting

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, said he hopes to discuss a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with US President Donald Trump, adding that "peace is not far away".

  • UAE, Serbia deepen ties with new political agreement

    His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Đurić. have agreed to deepen political coordination after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during talks in Abu Dhabi.

  • UAE strengthens child protection measures

    The UAE has introduced changes to its laws governing the care of children of unknown parentage, expanding custody options and strengthening child protection measures.