NYT: More than a dozen foreign volunteers killed in Russian strike near Kropyvnytskyi

More than a dozen foreign volunteers from the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) were killed on July 21 when a Russian missile hit the training campʼs cafeteria during lunch break, one of the deadliest attacks on foreign fighters in the war.

The New York Times reports this, citing three soldiers, one of whom witnessed the strike.

Recruits from the United States, Colombia, Taiwan, Denmark, and other countries were injured in the attack. The Ukrainian military confirmed to the NYT that soldiers were killed in the attack, but declined to disclose details.

The training camp of the international legion GUR was hit. Its representative told the NYT that the number of victims could not be disclosed while the investigation is ongoing. Previously, official Ukrainian sources did not report anything about the attack.

A US recruit from Florida said the explosion was the loudest he had ever heard. He saw at least 15 dead and 100 wounded soldiers lying on the ground near a mess hall. The impact also set off a fire in an ammunition depot, causing more explosions.

The source said that before the strike, the air raid sirens at the base had failed to go off, and afterwards he discovered that there were no first aid kits in the mess hall. According to two other foreign volunteers who were training at the camp, inadequate security had been a source of complaints even before the strike. Gathering soldiers for communal meals was dangerous.

• On July 29, Russian occupiers launched a missile strike on the territory of the Land Forces training ground near Chernihiv. Three servicemen were killed and 18 others were wounded.
• In June, the Russian army attacked the training center of the Ukrainian Ground Forces with Shahed drones, struck the training ground of one of the Ukrainian Ground Forces mechanized brigades, killing three people, and also hit a training unit in the Poltava region with a missile. Before that, the Russians launched a missile strike on one of the Ukrainian Land Forces training units. 12 soldiers were killed there, another 60 were wounded.
• Earlier, on May 20, the Russians hit a military unit in the Sumy region with a missile. Six servicemen were killed and more than ten were injured.

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