19 killed during a mass line-up for award presentation during an alert: the commander's case has been referred to court
A rocket struck a gathering: 19 killed, 36 wounded
An indictment against the commander of the unmanned systems battalion was sent to court in the case of the death of 19 people during military ceremonies in Dnipropetrovsk region. According to the investigation, the officer organized a mass formation contrary to the orders of the military command and did not stop the event after an air raid alert was announced. The transfer of the case to court on 26 June 2026 was reported by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko.
The tragedy occurred on 1 November 2025. Russian forces carried out a missile strike on the location where the ceremonial formation of servicemen was taking place.
As a result of the enemy attack, 19 people were killed: 12 servicemen and 7 civilians. Another 36 military personnel were injured. According to the investigation, the battalion commander organized a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the unit’s formation and to award personnel. At the same time, existing orders from the military command explicitly prohibited holding formations and allowing mass gatherings of servicemen outside shelters.
Despite the announcement of an air raid alert and missile danger, the event was not stopped. The personnel, the investigation claims, were not dispersed nor sent to safe locations. Law enforcement paid particular attention to information that had been circulated in service chats on the eve of the ceremonies. The messages specified the place and time of the event, the number of participants, and the geolocation. According to the investigation, this information became known to the Russian occupiers and was used to refine the target of the missile strike.
The battalion commander is accused of negligent performance of military service under martial law, which caused grave consequences, under Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko emphasized:
“War does not absolve responsibility for decisions that cost human lives. Unfortunately, official negligence led to such consequences, and it will receive a legal assessment. That is what prosecutors are working for”, – Ruslan Kravchenko.
The transfer of the indictment to the court does not mean that the accused has already been found guilty. The final assessment of the evidence and the commander’s actions must be given by the court.
Earlier we wrote:
- Death of Ukrainian marines at formation: “they gathered the best on the parade ground to award them”
- Missile strike on Ukrainian troops: death and dozens wounded during drills
- 12 dead, 60 wounded: missile strike on Ukrainian troops — was it a mistake?
- 200 servicemen died in a barracks in Mykolaiv at the start of the war, — Yuriy Butusov
- Russians struck Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters gathered for a ceremony in a frontline village
