Ukraine launches probe after Russian strike on military ceremony kills 19
Global News
Kyiv said it aims to hold military officials accountable for the event held near the front line in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian drones could easily spot the crowded gathering.
Ukraine on Monday launched a criminal investigation into military officers who organized a troop-honoring ceremony that was hit by a Russian missile strike, killing 19 soldiers in one of the deadliest single attacks reported by Ukrainian forces.
The State Bureau of Investigation said it aims to hold military officials accountable for the Rocket Forces and Artillery Day event held Friday near the front line in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian reconnaissance drones could easily spot the crowded gathering.
The carnage sparked a wave of criticism among Ukrainians who questioned on social media the planning of an event so close to the battlefield. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the deaths of the men of the 128th Separate Mountain-Assault Brigade of Zakarpattia as a “tragedy that could’ve been avoided.”
The investigation announcement came shortly before Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said a top aide and close friend, Maj. Hennadii Chastiakov, was separately killed by an explosive device hidden inside a birthday present as he celebrated with his family. Local media reported the explosion happened when a hand-grenade was mishandled and said the blast also injured Chastiakov’s 13-year-old-son.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Zaluzhnyi expressed his “inexpressible pain” for the “heavy” loss of Chastiakov, 39, and indicated a judicial investigation would establish how he died.
Earlier, officials said Russian drone and missile strikes in the city of Odesa wounded eight people and damaged an art museum that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and satellite photos showed damage done by a Ukrainian missile strike to a Russian naval ship.
Odesa’s National Art Museum said seven exhibitions, most featuring the work of contemporary Ukrainian artists, were damaged by a strike that left a large crater outside the museum, which was celebrating its 124th anniversary.
Photos and video showed shattered windows, doors, and some paintings lying on the floor amid debris strewn across the galleries.
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