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A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian military training camp has resulted in the deaths of foreign recruits, according to sources on the ground. The Ukrainian Army confirmed the attack, acknowledging casualties but withholding specific details. The assault targeted new recruits from various countries, including the United States, Colombia, Taiwan, and Denmark, as reported by The New York Times.

Here are key takeaways:

The missile strike occurred at a training exercise in Ukraine’s Sumy border region, resulting in the deaths of six servicemen and injuries to more than 10 others, according to Ukraine’s National Guard, per a BBC report.

A Ukrainian general confirmed that the Russian military carried out a missile strike on a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in central Ukraine, Newsweek reports.

According to the Kyiv Post, a missile strike on a Ukrainian military training base resulted in the deaths of 150 Ukrainian soldiers and 30 foreign instructors, prompting a full-scale investigation by counterintelligence officials; most of the wounded have been stabilized, but some are still awaiting surgical interventions.

On June 1, a Russian missile struck a Ukrainian military training ground, killing 12 and injuring 60, Ukraine’s Land Forces said, according to the Kyiv Independent. The statement on the attack did not identify the location of the training grounds or the specific type of missile used.

In a similar incident on March 1, Russian forces launched a missile strike on a Ukrainian military training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region, resulting in casualties from one of Ukraine’s Ground Forces units, Meduza reported. The exact number of casualties was not officially disclosed at the time.

Ukrainian officials stated that a number of people were killed in a Russian missile strike on military training grounds around 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line, according to The Moscow Times.

In September 2024, a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian military academy resulted in more than 50 deaths and over 270 injuries, marking it as one of the deadliest attacks of the war, NPR reported.

Russian forces have repeatedly targeted soldiers assembled at military academies, barracks, and parade grounds, according to The New York Times.

Russia attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Friday with the largest number of drones and missiles launched in a single barrage so far in the war, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, just hours after a phone call between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

The assault left Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, wrapped in smoke from fires early Friday. The Russian drones and falling debris from air defense intercepts damaged the consular section of the Polish Embassy in Kyiv and China’s consulate in Odesa, in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said residential buildings had been damaged in five neighborhoods in the capital.

Russia has been ramping up drone attacks in recent months with record numbers launched almost weekly. As they did on Friday, the attacks typically combine exploding drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and decoys intended to confuse or overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin spoke by phone shortly before the air-raid alerts went off in Kyiv. After the call, Mr. Trump told reporters, “I didn’t make any progress with him at all.” There was no clear link between the timing of the air assault and the call, which was at least the sixth between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin this year.

In late July, a Russian missile hit a military camp canteen near Kropyvnytskyi, killing at least ten foreign volunteers and wounding over a hundred servicemen. This is one of the bloodiest attacks on foreign fighters during the war. This was reported by The New York Times, according to UNN.

Details

On July 21, Russian forces launched a targeted missile strike on a training base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the central part of the country. The projectile hit the canteen during lunch break, when dozens of recruits from various countries – including citizens of the USA, Colombia, Taiwan, Denmark, and others – gathered together. According to eyewitnesses, the death toll could exceed 15 people, and over a hundred servicemen were wounded.

The explosion caused a fire in an ammunition depot, leading to new detonations and dangerous debris in the air. One American volunteer recounted helping severely wounded comrades, using tourniquets and bandages, before evacuating them to hospitals in ambulances, trucks, and even private cars.

According to soldiers’ testimonies, the air raid siren did not sound at the base before the strike, and there were no first aid kits in the canteen. A representative of the International Legion of Military Intelligence of Ukraine, the unit that was hit, confirmed the attack and reported that an investigation is underway. The number of casualties is not officially disclosed.

Experts emphasize that the concentration of personnel in open or unfortified areas – from academies to parade grounds – makes them an easy target for the enemy. This is not the first such incident: in 2022, a Russian missile destroyed part of a training base in Yavoriv, and in 2023, over 50 Ukrainian cadets died in Poltava after a strike on a training center.

Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that in response to such tragedies, training is planned to be moved to protected underground facilities and discipline during air raids will be strengthened.

For many foreign volunteers, service in Ukraine has become an opportunity to support the country in its fight for freedom. They receive the same payments as Ukrainian servicemen – from $1000 to $1750 in basic monthly salary, with combat bonuses exceeding $3000. However, the risks remain extremely high, as the tragedy near Kropyvnytskyi once again confirmed.

Recall

Russian forces launched a missile strike at night on the territory of a training unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a group of servicemen fell into the zone of cluster munitions, one was killed, 11 were wounded, and another 12 sought medical assistance, the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on August 12.

The missile attack on the training camp, which took place near the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi on July 21, was timed for when recruits sat down at picnic tables for lunch, the soldiers said.

An American recruit from Florida, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the explosion was the loudest he had ever heard. In a telephone interview, he said the blast had sent debris flying around him and had shaken nearby trees.

After the explosion, dead and dismembered bodies and gravely wounded soldiers were lying on the ground near the mess hall, he said. He saw at least 15 dead soldiers and more than 100 others who were wounded, he added.

The strike also set fire to an ammunition depot, the soldier said, triggering more explosions and sending debris and shrapnel whistling through the air, as survivors tried to tend to the wounded. He said he had applied tourniquets to some gravely wounded soldiers and had carried them to ambulances, trucks and private cars that then raced to hospitals.

The base’s air raid alarm did not sound before the strike, the soldier said, and afterward, he was dismayed to discover that first aid kits were nowhere to be found around the mess hall.