Enemy Strike Hits Gathering of Ukrainian Marine Brigade

On November 1, Russian forces launched a rocket and drone attack on a settlement in the Samarivsky district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The strike hit the center of the settlement, tragically resulting in both civilian and military casualties.

According to official reports from the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy, servicemen from one of its marine brigades were present in the village at the time of the attack. No additional details were provided.

Award Ceremony in the rear

While officials have not provided further details, information about the incident surfaced online through relatives of the fallen soldiers. TSN journalist Dmytro Sviatnenko wrote on Facebook that his brother, Volodymyr, was killed in the rear area when servicemen had gathered for an award ceremony. Volodymyr served as a drone strike operator with the 35th Marine Brigade.

“At a time when we are desperately short of people to defend Dnipro from the Russian offensive in the Pokrovsk direction, on November 1, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, some internal enemy gave the order to line up the brigade’s best pilots and infantrymen on the parade ground for an award ceremony. My brother was killed on Saturday. He was killed by Russians — but not on the battlefield. Deep in the rear. He and his comrades were gathered on the parade ground to receive awards. They gathered the best — the best pilots and infantrymen of the brigade — on open ground, under command orders. Ballistics flew in. The story of negligence, or perhaps something worse, repeated itself,” Sviatnenko wrote.

Another confirmed casualty is Staff Sergeant Kostiantyn Huzenko of the 35th Marine Brigade, who served in the brigade’s communications department.

Failure of the system

This incident reflects a clear failure of command. It is astonishing that, in the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, some Ukrainian officers still order servicemen to gather in open areas near the frontline for ceremonial events. Such decisions demonstrate not only negligence but a disregard for basic security protocols. The commanders responsible must be immediately suspended and face serious consequences.

On June 1, 2025, the commander of the Ground Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, resigned following the tragedy at the 239th Training Center, where a Russian strike killed soldiers from a training battalion.

I didn’t press hard enough, didn’t persuade, didn’t change the attitude toward the soldier in formation. Cronyism and impunity are poison to the army. I tried to root them out of the Ground Forces. But if tragedies keep repeating, it means my efforts were not enough,” said Drapatyi.

Law enforcement agencies are currently conducting an investigation to determine all the circumstances surrounding the incident. In addition, according to a press release from the 30th Marine Corps, several officers from the brigade have been suspended from their duties pending the results of the inquiry.