Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian Armed Forces training ground in Sumy region: MPs demand punishment for those responsible
21 May 05:47
Russian occupation forces launched a missile attack on the Shostka community in Sumy region. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that it hit a training camp for Ukrainian soldiers. A number of Ukrainian soldiers and bloggers, as well as MPs, also wrote about the deaths of soldiers as a result of the strike, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The Sumy Regional Military Administration reported the missile strike at 17:41 on March 20. They reported damage to the infrastructure of one of the enterprises. Later, they also added that seven residential buildings and a kindergarten were damaged in the community.
Meanwhile, the Russians claim to have discovered a training camp for the 1st Special Forces Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Territorial Defense near Shostka. The Iskander strike allegedly killed up to 70 soldiers, including 20 instructors, as well as an ammunition depot and 10 pieces of equipment.
This tragedy has led to sharp criticism from Ukrainian politicians, who call the incident a crime and demand an immediate investigation and punishment of those responsible.
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko expressed outrage over the irresponsible decision to hold the training so close to the front line. The training ground is located less than 50 kilometers from the border with Russia, making it an easy target for enemy surveillance and strike.
“Russians hit the training ground in Sumy region with Iskander right during the training of our military. The training ground is located less than 50 km from the border with Russia. It’s just a complete f*** up.
The training ground is actually on the border with Russia. The enemy was watching the training ground. A drone was hovering over it for a long time, which corrected the strike,” Goncharenko wrote.
He emphasized that such incidents are systemic, and the perpetrators remain unpunished:
“This is a crime. Those who decided to train the military actually on the front line. People are no longer valued at all. From orders to stay surrounded to training grounds on the enemy’s side.
This is not the first or second time this has happened. And still no one has been brought to justice.”
MP Mariana Bezuhla appealed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a demand for personnel changes in the military leadership:
“How many more people have to die? How many more “stupid” orders must be given? How much more arrogance and deaths, arrogance and deaths, arrogance and deaths, for Syrsky to be fired, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych?”
It should be noted that this is not the first time that the Russians have struck at training grounds where Ukrainian troops are amassed.
Earlier, on March 1, 2025, Russian troops launched a missile attack on a training ground in the Dnipro region, which also resulted in deaths and injuries. At that time, TikTok videos posted from the training ground could have attracted the enemy’s attention, indicating information security problems.
The Ukrainian Army recognized the tragedy, and Commander Mykhailo Drapaty promised that “everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who did not make them in time, will be held accountable.”
Another tragedy occurred on March 13, 2022, when Russia attacked the Yavoriv test site in the Lviv region, firing more than 30 missiles. That killed 35 people and injured 134.
Back in November 2023, the Russians attacked the 128th Brigade when, according to Hromadske’s sources in the Armed Forces, they gathered for an award ceremony in honor of Artillery Day in the frontline zone of Zaporizhzhia region. As a result, 19 soldiers were killed.
These incidents indicate systemic problems in the location of training grounds and protection from enemy reconnaissance drones that correct strikes.
