The Ukrainian command confirmed the incident but has disclosed neither the exact number of casualties nor the specific locations and circumstances. However, Russian military bloggers claim that it happened in the village of Dymytrove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, resulting in the deaths of 30 Ukrainian soldiers.
Later, on 5 November 2023, Russians published the video of the strike, Ukrainian media outlet Censor reported, sharing the video. As is evident from the video, a Russian drone observed how soldiers were gathering for the awards ceremony in an abandoned warehouse, after which the Iskander missile hit the place.
Ukrainian authorities reacted to the incident with Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov promising a thorough investigation to determine who ordered the ceremony and made the fatal decision.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in his evening address on 5 November 2023 that the tragedy with the mass death of soldiers of the 128th brigade could have been avoided.
“My condolences to all relatives and friends of the fallen soldiers! This is a tragedy that could have been avoided. Minister of Defense Umerov reported to me about the measures taken to find out all the circumstances of what happened and who gave which orders. Criminal proceedings were also registered after the tragedy. The investigation is ongoing.“
The 128th brigade participated in the liberation of Kherson, fought near Bakhmut, and returned to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast at the beginning of 2023. In June, they liberated the villages of Lobkove and Piatykhatky.