Russian air strike kills 19 in brigade ceremony, Ukrainian authorities ordered an investigation

Ukraine’s 128th assault brigade says a Russian air strike killed 19 of its soldiers on the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region last week.

Ukrainian authorities ordered an investigation into the attack after reports that troops were killed during an awards ceremony close to the front.

An Iskander-M missile was fired at the gathering, the defence ministry confirmed. “They were lined up when the Russians launched an attack, resulting in many casualties among the officers and soldiers,” a commander of a local battalion, Ruslan Kaganets, said.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “This is a tragedy that could have been avoided.”