Ignored an air-raid alert: commander to be tried over the deaths of 19 soldiers during a formation

The indictment against the commander of a battalion of unmanned systems was sent to court in the case of the death of 19 people during military ceremonies in Dnipropetrovsk region. According to the investigation, the mass formation was not stopped even after an air raid alert and missile danger were announced.

On the completion of the pre-trial investigation on 26 June 2026 announced the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko.

The tragedy occurred on 1 November 2025, when a Russian missile struck the site of the ceremonial assembly of service members.

As a result of the enemy attack, 19 people were killed: 12 servicemembers and 7 civilians. Another 36 servicemembers were wounded.

According to investigators, the battalion commander organized ceremonial events to mark the anniversary of the unit’s formation and to award personnel.

The event was held contrary to existing orders of the military command, which explicitly prohibited formations and mass gatherings of servicemembers outside shelters.

Even after an air raid alert and missile danger were announced, the ceremonies did not stop, and the troops were not dispersed or directed to safe locations.

The investigation also established that on the eve of the event information about the place and time of its holding, the number of participants and the geolocation was circulated in official chats.

According to law enforcement, this data became known to the Russian occupiers and was used to refine the target of the missile strike.

The battalion commander is charged with negligent performance of military service under martial law, which caused serious consequences, under part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko emphasized that martial law does not absolve officials from responsibility for decisions that lead to human losses.

“War does not cancel responsibility for decisions that cost human lives. Unfortunately, official negligence led to such consequences, and it will receive a legal assessment. This is what prosecutors are working for”.

At the same time, sending the indictment to court does not mean automatically finding the person guilty. The final decision must be made by the court after reviewing the parties’ evidence.

Previously we wrote:

• Death of Ukrainian marines at a formation: “they gathered the best on the parade ground to award them”
• Missile strike on Ukrainian servicemen: death and dozens wounded during exercises
• 12 dead, 60 wounded: missile strike on Ukrainian servicemen — was it a mistake?
• 200 servicemen died in a barracks in Mykolaiv at the start of the war, — Yuriy Butusov
• Russians struck AFU fighters gathered for a ceremony in a frontline village