Ukraine said Thursday that its forces had struck Russian military training grounds on the Moscow-occupied bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region, killing or wounding dozens of troops.
Military spokeswoman Natalia Gumeniuk said on television that the attack took place Wednesday, striking a range where Russian troops undergoing combat exercises.
“The work was carried out quite effectively. At least 60 invaders will definitely not return to their combat positions,” Gumeniuk said.
Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces posted drone footage on the Telegram messaging app that showed explosions and soldiers lying on the ground.
The attack came after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that Russian forces had recaptured a Ukrainian bridgehead around the village of Krynky on the Moscow-occupied bank of the Dnipro River, a claim that Kyiv said was false.
Gumeniuk said the training grounds targeted in Wednesday’s strike were being used by soldiers deployed to attack the bridgehead.
Pro-war Russian military bloggers said Thursday that three strikes had targeted military training grounds located around 15 kilometers from Krynky, adding that fighting for the village was ongoing.
Ukraine reportedly carried out a similar attack on a training ground near the Moscow-controlled town of Volnovakha in the eastern Donetsk region on Tuesday, where a number of casualties were reported.
The BBC Russian Service reported that troops from Russia’s 36th Motorised Rifle Brigade had been lined up at the training grounds, waiting for a commander to arrive, and around 60 soldiers may have been killed.
Pro-war Russian military bloggers claimed the attack was carried out using U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems, and they criticized Russia’s military leadership for allowing large numbers of troops to gather in a single location.