A Russian missile attack on a demonstration of military equipment killed at least ten people and injured nearly a hundred others in the Kyiv region on Friday, a bombing that once again raises questions about the security of this type of event in Ukraine.
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The strike hit a private shooting range located about twenty kilometers from the Ukrainian capital, according to an AFP journalist who saw tents on site under which, shortly after the attack, drones and a screen broadcasting a promotional video from a military company were still placed.
Behind a vehicle, the body of a dead man, his face bloodied, lay on the ground while people milled around him. Residential buildings near the site were completely destroyed and rescuers were searching through the rubble for possible other victims.
Near a highway, AFP also saw five bodies covered in black sheets.
Without hiding her anger and frustration, Alla Lakhmaniouk, a local official, told AFP that the organizers of this weapons demonstration had not warned the municipal authorities.
“Everyone is very unhappy that such an event took place right next to homes. If we organize this type of event, it absolutely must be done in a safe place, away from residential areas,” she pleaded.
Natalia Perevalova, a local resident, survived the strike with her son, who was “very scared”, and her small black dog. “There were two waves. It fell hard there twice and then hit the building. The roof is damaged, badly damaged,” she said.
According to the latest report communicated by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko, ten people were killed and around a hundred others were injured, to varying degrees.
The Ukrainian authorities announced the opening of an investigation for “negligence leading to death” concerning “possible breaches of obligations” during the organization of this military event.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his daily address, denounced “an event which certainly should not have taken place in this place”.
“Of course, the strike was caused by Russian missiles – this is Russian terror – but we have repeated a thousand times that in times of war and in the face of such an enemy, it is absolutely impossible to organize arms exhibitions bringing together large crowds, let alone near residential buildings,” he said.
The Russian military claimed to have struck “a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign-made drones”, citing the presence of “leading manufacturers”, army officers and agents of the Ukrainian security services.
Since the start of the 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly come under fire for organizing, without taking sufficient security measures, military events, such as medal ceremonies, that were targeted by Russian strikes.
After this new tragedy, an advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky for defense, Serguiï Beskrestnov, denounced on Telegram military events which do not provide shelter for their guests and announce their holding in advance on social networks.
Kateryna Mykhalko, another sector official, spoke on Instagram of a “day of mourning for the Ukrainian military industry”.
