Commander of the Land Forces Drapatiy resigned after Russia's strike on the Ukrainian military training ground

The Commander of the Land Forces, Mykhailo Drapatiy, resigned from his post after the Russian missile strike on the 239th training ground of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which resulted in casualties and injuries among the defenders. The military man wrote about this on his social networks.

According to him, 12 soldiers were killed and wounded in the Russian strike: "These are young guys from a training battalion. Most of them were in shelters. They were supposed to learn, live, fight – not die. My deepest condolences to the families of the dead and all those who suffered." Earlier, the Land Forces reported that 60 defenders were injured.

"I have decided to submit a report of resignation from the position of Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a conscious step dictated by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy at the 239th training ground, which resulted in the deaths of our soldiers," the commander's post says.

Drapatiy stated that as a commander he was unable to fully ensure the execution of his orders: "I did not pressure, I did not convince, I did not change the attitude towards the person in the ranks. This is my responsibility."

According to the military, the behavior of soldiers matters, but the main responsibility always lies with the command, since it is it that sets the rules, makes decisions, and is responsible for the consequences.

"The blue wall and impunity are poison for the army. I tried to eradicate it from the Land Forces. But if tragedies happen again, it means my efforts were not enough. We have no right to live in a system that does not learn. If we do not draw conclusions, do not change our attitude to service, and do not recognize our mistakes, we are doomed. Without personal responsibility, there is no development. Without development, there is no victory. An army in which commanders are personally responsible for people's lives is alive. An army where no one is responsible for a loss is dying from within," the commander said.

The military also reported that he had initiated an investigation into all the circumstances of the tragedy at the 239th training ground: regarding the condition of shelters and the effectiveness of warning systems.

• On June 1, Russia launched a missile strike on the location of a training unit of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to open sources, the combined military training ground 239 hit by the invaders is located in the urban-type settlement of Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk region.
• This is not the first time that the occupiers have attacked Ukrainian soldiers at training grounds: previously, the occupiers have struck at defenders during formations. This time, the Land Forces stated that there were no formations and most of the soldiers were in cover.