Commander taken into custody and notified of suspicion due to death of soldiers in Dnipropetrovs'k region

The State Bureau of Investigation notified the commander of one of the battalions of suspicion - according to the investigation, he gathered the military for an award ceremony in Dnipropetrovs'k region on November 1, despite the ban. During the event, the occupiers launched a combined attack on the crowd, resulting in casualties among defenders and civilians.

Law enforcement officials say that on that day, the occupiers attacked Dnipro region with two ballistic missiles, probably of the Iskander type, and three Geranium strike UAVs (Russian marking Shahed).

"At that time, the Ukrainian military were being awarded in the area where they were based. As a result of the shelling, both soldiers and civilians were killed and injured," the publication says.

The decision of the commander to hold such a mass meeting in a situation of high missile danger contradicted the current requirements and orders of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the SBI writes.

The Office of the Prosecutor General indicates that the officer organized a ceremonial formation and awarding of decorations for more than 100 military personnel, including in a place where civilians were present.

"In addition to the direct prohibition of the accumulation of personnel and the requirement to disperse them, after the air raid was announced, the commander did not ensure the immediate termination of the event and dispersal of the military," the ministry said .

According to him, the Russian strike killed 12 defenders and seven civilians, and wounded 36 more servicemen.

The commander was notified of suspicion of negligence of military service committed under martial law. The maximum penalty is eight years in prison.

The issue of choosing a measure of restraint in the form of detention is now being decided.

UPDATED at 5:05 p.m.. Commander of unmanned systems unit held without bail, reported Prosecutor General's Office.

• Law enforcement officials did not specify the name of the unit, but earlier the 30th Marine Corps reported that the strike had injured soldiers from one of its brigades. The unit noted that a number of officials were suspended because of the incident .
• TSN journalist Dmytro Svyatnenko said that his brother Volodymyr was killed in the strike. According to the journalist, soldiers of the 35th Marine Brigade came under Russian attack.
• Earlier, in November 2023, the occupiers launched a missile attack while the soldiers of the 128th Brigade were lining up for awards, resulting in deaths and injuries.