The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that "the training camp belonging to the 169th Training Center of the Ukrainian Strategic Reserve Forces, located in the Goncharovskoye area of Chernihiv province, was hit by two Iskander-M missiles carrying cluster and high-explosive warheads. Intelligence data suggests approximately 200 Ukrainian servicemen were killed or wounded."
The released video shows a Russian reconnaissance UAV surveying a forested area, identifying buildings and vehicles concealed under the trees. The target data was relayed to an Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile battery to carry out the attack.
The first missile, carrying a cluster warhead, detonated above the forest, apparently targeting a concentration of Ukrainian soldiers. Each Iskander-M can carry 54 9N730 submunitions. These are deployed at an altitude of 900-1,400 meters above the target and explode 6-10 meters above the ground, impacting an area the size of multiple football fields.
The second Iskander-M detonated a high-explosive warhead at altitude for maximum impact in the area previously hit by the cluster munition.
The Ukrainian army previously reported a training facility was hit by Russian missiles, resulting in 3 soldiers killed and 18 injured. Ukraine did not disclose the location, but Ukrainian military news sites indicated the targeted area was in Chernihiv province.
In recent months, the Russian military has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian training camps, inflicting significant personnel and equipment losses. On 1/7, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky ordered a ban on concentrating troops and equipment at training facilities, and demanded the construction of additional shelters and implementation of measures to protect soldiers' lives.
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Location of the Goncharovskoye residential area, Chernihv province. Graphic: RYV |
One of the most serious incidents occurred in early March, when the Russian military launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles at the Novomoskovsky training ground in Dnipropetrovsk province, where soldiers of the 157th Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade were training. Moscow claimed the attack killed 150 Ukrainian soldiers, including approximately 30 foreign specialists.
General Syrsky called it a tragedy, saying the attack "killed and wounded a number of people" but did not give specific figures. Former Ukrainian MP Igor Mosiychuk said the strike hit the 168th Reserve Battalion, killing 32 and wounding 153, while damaging two vehicles of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade.
Nguyen Tien (According to RIA Novosti, Zvezda, AFP)
