A Russian missile attack on a ceremony honoring soldiers of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, just behind the front lines, leaves dozens dead and injured. At the same time, Kiev deals a prestige blow to Crimea.
The 128th Mountain Assault Brigade is located in the most exposed areas of the front and has suffered heavy losses for almost two years.
Longarina/Portal
Russia dealt a painful blow to the Ukrainian army over the weekend. On Friday morning, about 90 soldiers and officers from the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade gathered in the open, 20 kilometers behind the front. Members of the unit, which has held positions in the Southeast for almost two years, would receive medals on the occasion of “Missile Forces and Artillery Day”. Then two Russian missiles attacked in quick succession.
There is no official information on the number of victims in the Zaporizhia region. But several Ukrainian media outlets speak of around 20 dead and almost three dozen injured. NZZ military sources consider the number of 28 dead and 53 injured given by a member of parliament in Kiev to be exaggerated.
The commanders acted naively
Videos show bodies scattered across the street and burning vehicles belonging to the unit, which this newspaper visited several times. Among the dead was a colonel who headed Khmelnitsky’s Enlistment Office until he was fired by the president in August. One of the country’s most famous tank drivers also died.
As the 128th Brigade’s leadership and best fighters were assembled, the Russian attack meant heavy losses, particularly for the unit’s artillery. For a total of around 9,000 fighters, it is the day with the greatest losses since the start of the Russian invasion.
Three days of national mourning were declared in Zakarpattia, the region where the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade is based, in western Ukraine. Furthermore, anger is the predominant emotion and is directed not only against the enemy, but also against the army leadership itself. Brigade members expressed shock at the carelessness and stupidity of commanders. Ukrainian journalist Denis Kazanski spoke of “criminal negligence that is costing people their lives”.
The fact that Volodymir Zelensky also spoke publicly about the incident that night is extremely unusual and illustrates the extent of anger among the population. “This tragedy could have been avoided,” said the president when offering condolences to the families of those killed. Negligence, bureaucratism and Soviet traditions prevented the armed forces from reaching their potential.
President Zelensky signs a flag for the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade during a visit in August this year.
Imago / Pool / Ukrainian Presidency
In fact, it is difficult to understand why the command acted so carelessly after almost two years of war. Every soldier knows that drones on both sides can see miles behind the front and coordinate artillery or rocket attacks. The Russians may have already become aware of the announced honor through groups of internal messengers and were therefore able to fire their Iskander rocket shortly after its launch.
What worries Kiev is that Moscow is getting better at carrying out targeted attacks against the interior. Such attacks have been the strength of the Ukrainians until now. Friday’s attack recalls the devastating bombing of a division of Russia’s 20th Guards Army by Himars rockets in June, in which around 100 soldiers died. They were waiting for their commander’s motivational speech.
Damage to one of the most modern Russian combat ships
At least the Ukrainians managed to show over the weekend that they are still capable of spectacular shots. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that two cruise missiles, presumably Storm Shadow/Scalp, damaged a shipyard in the city of Kerch. It is located in the far east of the occupied Crimean peninsula. According to Moscow, one ship was damaged.
⚡️ Snapshots of the damaged shipbuilding factory and ship in Kerch have appeared online.
It is believed to be an Askold ship that can carry up to eight Kalibr missiles.
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Satellite images and information from Kiev clearly indicate that only the Karakurt-class corvette Askold was in the dock at the time of the attack. She is one of the most modern ships in the Russian fleet and can also fire Kalibr and Onyx missiles. Eastern Crimea was previously considered relatively safe because it is 300 kilometers away from Ukrainian positions. Part of the Black Sea Fleet was therefore transferred here from the exposed port city of Sevastopol.
Now Kiev may have found ways to expand the range of weapons supplied by the West. Showing that the Ukrainians can strategically weaken the Russians is even more important given that Europe and the United States are distracted by the war in Gaza.
Success reports are also important internally. The tragedy in Zaporizhia follows turbulent days with several articles revealing differences between the political and military leadership. Commander-in-Chief Valeri Salushni mercilessly discussed the reasons for the failure of the Ukrainian offensive.
President Volodymyr Zelensky then openly contradicted Salushni and emphasized that there was no stalemate at the front. The president’s office asked the general not to make any further public statements about the state of the war. The fear that the Ukrainian united front, nurtured for almost two years, could collapse is back.