On 1 March 2025, a

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

attack by the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

hit a Ukrainian training ground in Cherkaske,

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in simultaneously southern, eastern and central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. It was created on February 27, 1932. Dnipropetro ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Event

On 1 March 2025, a Russian

Iskander-M The 9K720 Iskander (; NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system. It has a range of . It was intended to replace the OTR-21 Tochka in the Russian military by 2020. The Iskander has several differ ...

missile struck a Ukrainian military training ground located 130km from the frontline. The attack was recorded by a Russian

Orlan-10 The Orlan-10 () is a reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Special Technology Center (STC) in Saint Petersburg for the Russian Armed Forces. The Orlan-10 features a composite fuselage that reduces its radar signature. Dr ...

drone, and footage circulated in social media. On 3 March, Ukrainian Commander

Mykhailo Drapatyi Mykhailo Vasyliovych Drapatyi (; born 21 November 1982) is a Ukrainian military officer who is the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 3 June 2025. He served as commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces from 2024 t ...

reported that Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military camp in Cherkaske. Drapatyi did not specify the number of losses suffered, but said that he ordered an investigation on the circumstances of the attack. The Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Forces,

Oleksandr Syrskyi Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi (; born 26 July 1965) is a Ukrainian military officer. Holding the rank of four-star general, he has served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since . Previously, he was the commander o ...

, said the same day that the head and commander of the military unit were suspended from the Army, and called for further investigation into the actions that lead to the deaths and injuries of Ukrainian servicemen. Ukrainian journalist Andrii Tsaplienko reported that the Ukrainian unit struck during the cluster munitions attack was the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade based in Samar, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, that was present at the settlement of Cherkaske during training. The 157 Mechanized Brigade was formed in spring 2024 and participated in the fighting for

Kurakhove Kurakhove (, ; , ) is a city in Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Population: 21,479 (2001). Kurakhove is home to the Kurakhove Power Station. The city has been under Russian occupation since December 2024, the power station s ...

and

Pokrovsk Pokrovsk (, ; ), formerly known as Krasnoarmiisk (until 2016) and Grishino (until 1934), is a city and the administrative center of Pokrovsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located northwest of Donetsk. Prior to 2020, it was incorporat ...

. Another journalist, Yurii Butusov, reported a different account, in which the attack targeted another formation, the 168th Reserve Battalion with losses ranging from 32 to 39 killed and more than 90 wounded. Russian officials said the missile attack killed 150 Ukrainian nationals and 30 foreign instructors.

References

{{coord missing, Ukraine Russian airstrikes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Attacks on military installations in 2025 2025 airstrikes 2025 building bombings Attacks on barracks in Ukraine March 2025 in Ukraine Samar Raion Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Residential building bombings in Ukraine Military operations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2025