"In the middle of the day, on March 1, the enemy attacked a military unit on the territory of a training ground... in the Dnipropetrovsk region," Ukraine's Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said on social media.
"The attack by an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster munition resulted in deaths and injuries," he said, without providing figures.
A military source told AFP that the strike hit "an army training ground near the village of Cherkaske" outside the city of Dnipro.
A respected Ukrainian military blogger, Yury Butusov, said that between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and around 90 more were injured. No official toll has been released.
"The tragedy... is a terrible consequence of an enemy strike," Ukraine's land forces commander Major General Mykhailo Drapaty said, expressing "heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims".
Syrsky said a commission had been set up "to establish all the circumstances and causes of the tragedy" and that the head of the training centre and commander of the unit have been suspended pending the investigation.
Ukrainian lawmaker Mariana Bezugla said on Facebook that the strike happened when soldiers were lined up in formation, accusing commanders of "stupidity" and an "inability to adapt to new realities".
A military source told AFP there was "no lining up or gathering of people", adding that "elements of destruction were scattered over a large area".
There have been several similar attacks during the three-year war including a strike on a military institute in Poltava in September last year in which some 60 people were killed.
Drapaty said there were "unlearnt lessons".
"Anger is eating away at me from the inside," he said, pointing the finger at some military officials "who continue to negligently" fulfil their duties.
He said he would not allow anyone to "try to hide the truth in the fog of bureaucracy".
Related Links
Space War News
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
