WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
A Russian missile strike on a military exercise in the Ukrainian border region of Sumy has killed six soldiers and wounded more than a dozen, the Ukrainian National Guard said. The Russian Defense Ministry earlier released footage of the Iskander missile strike on the military camp, while the state news agency TASS reported that up to 70 people were killed.
The Sumy region has been repeatedly shelled, and Ukraine has launched a months-long occupation of part of neighboring Russia's Kursk region from there. The Ukrainian military said the offensive was aimed at creating a security zone to protect Sumy region, but some have complained about the scale of military losses.
Separately, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had visited officials in Kursk a day earlier, his first visit to the region since Ukrainian forces were pushed out of the area.
The unit was on a training exercise when the attack occurred.
Ukraine's National Guard has confirmed a deadly Russian attack on Ukrainian soldiers in Sumy region early on Wednesday, saying the attack took place while the unit was carrying out exercises at a military training ground. The commander has been suspended and an official investigation has been launched, it added.
Unverified Russian military footage shows dozens of soldiers walking along a path near a wooded area, followed by an explosion and a large plume of smoke. Analysis by BBC Verify has shown that a training camp was hit in the far north of Sumy region, well south of the Russian border.
The attack is a serious blow to the Ukrainian military, and the National Guard said it had previously developed an "algorithm of action" and issued orders for action in the event of air strikes and large gatherings of people in one place.
