File photo: Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visit an artillery training center at an undisclosed location in Ukraine during Russia’s attack on Ukraine November 3, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Portal Acquire License Rights
LVIV, Ukraine, Nov 5 (Portal) – Ukraine’s defense minister ordered an investigation on Saturday into a suspected Russian ballistic missile attack on a Ukrainian assault brigade after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed at an awards ceremony.
“My condolences go out to the families of the fallen soldiers of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a “comprehensive investigation.”
In a separate statement on the messaging app Telegram, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Russia had attacked the Zaporizhzhia region with the Iskander ballistic missile.
“Soldiers were killed and residents were also injured,” the military said.
It was not clear how many soldiers died.
The statements followed numerous earlier reports on Ukrainian social media and from military bloggers that more than 20 soldiers were killed in a village near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia during an awards ceremony commemorating Artillery Day on Friday.
In its daily reports on battlefield activity, the Russian Defense Ministry said only that Russian forces had “shelled” a Ukrainian Assault Brigade unit in the region, killing up to 30 military personnel.
Portal could not independently verify the reports.
Both Russia and Ukraine have often underestimated their military losses in the 20-month-long war while exaggerating the losses they allegedly inflicted on each other.
Additional reporting by Elaine Monaghan in Washington, writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Edited by Michael Perry
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