Battalion commander suspected over death of 12 servicemen and 7 civilians during formation for award ceremony due to Russian strike in Dnipropetrovsk region
Kyiv • UNN
The commander of an unmanned systems unit has been notified of suspicion over the death of 12 servicemen and 7 civilians during a ceremony in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The officer failed to ensure the event was stopped after an air raid alert was announced, which led to a missile and drone strike.
The commander of the unmanned systems unit has been notified of suspicion due to the death of servicemen and civilians during celebrations; 12 servicemen and 7 civilians were killed, and 36 more servicemen were wounded as a result of the strike, reported the Prosecutor General's Office on Saturday, writes UNN.
The investigation established that on November 1, the officer organized a ceremonial formation and award presentation for over 100 servicemen in the Dnipropetrovsk region – including in a place where civilians were present.
In addition to the direct prohibition of personnel accumulation and the requirement for its dispersal, as stated by the Prosecutor General's Office, "after the air raid alert was announced, the commander failed to ensure the immediate cessation of the event and the dispersal of servicemen."
At that time, the armed forces of the Russian Federation launched a combined missile and drone attack on places of personnel concentration. As a result of the strike, 12 servicemen and 7 civilians were killed. Also, 36 more servicemen were wounded.
Under the procedural guidance of the Dnipro Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the field of defense, the officer was notified of suspicion of negligent attitude towards service under martial law, which led to grave consequences (Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The prosecutor's office applied to the court with a request for detention without bail.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by SBI employees with the operational support of the SSU.
The SBI clarified that "the commander of one of the battalions, who, despite the prohibition of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, gathered personnel for celebrations in the Dnipropetrovsk region on November 1," was notified of suspicion.