According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a precise strike using the Kinzhal hypersonic missile was carried out by Russian forces on a base housing NATO instructors in Ukraine.
On May 29, it was reported that the Russian military deployed the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile to strike the Yavorovsky training base in Ukraine, located approximately 30 km northwest of the Lviv province.
The exact timing of the attack was during the night of May 28. At that time, over 300 personnel from the Ukrainian armed forces and NATO military instructors were present at the Yavorovsky base.
“This training facility is a crucial logistics center for the Ukrainian armed forces, involved in the transportation of armored vehicles, artillery systems, air defense, and ammunition to central and eastern Ukraine,” Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported.
Military Review cited “confidential sources” claiming the attack resulted in 180 fatalities and 200 injuries. Among the deceased were “military instructors from Belgium and the Netherlands.”
The sources also mentioned that, in addition to the Yavorovsky training base, a flight control center for F-16 fighter jets and a command post of the Ukrainian armed forces were also targeted.
Putin’s Warning
Moskovskij Komsomolets (Russia) also reported on the attack, confirming the deaths of NATO military instructors, including those from “Poland, France, and the USA.”
The report noted that before the incident, Russian military-political leadership had reacted strongly against NATO’s plan to deploy troops to Ukraine, warning of imminent attacks. At the Yavorovsky base, Ukrainian soldiers undergo training in tactics, techniques, medical skills, and basic equipment operations.
Previously, on May 20, in an interview with the Financial Times, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas revealed that NATO member countries had sent troops to Ukraine to train soldiers for Kyiv.
“There are countries training soldiers on the ground,” Kallas said, noting that they are accepting the risk to do so.
On May 27, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that he had signed documents allowing the first group of French instructors to come to Ukraine.
In a speech on May 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Western military instructors have been operating in Ukraine as mercenaries.
“There are (Western) specialists there disguised as mercenaries. We are well aware of this,” Putin said.
According to the Russian leader, these Western instructors “are suffering losses in Ukraine.”
“Here is a question about long-range precision weapons,” Putin said. “Who operates these weapons? Who maintains them? The answer is very clear, the Western instructors disguised as mercenaries.”
“However, they are there and are suffering losses. It is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal these losses,” Putin stated. “Perhaps it is time for them to ‘officially’ be there to officially acknowledge their losses.”
In his speech, Putin emphasized that the Russian Federation “will do what it sees fit,” despite the presence of Western military in Ukraine.
“Western troops coming to Ukraine will fall within the reach of the Russian armed forces. I do not think this is a good option. This escalates the situation and is another step towards European, even global, conflict. Do they see this as necessary?”
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing Resident.ua (Ukraine), reported that French troops are already present in Ukraine, having been moved to the Lviv area (western Ukraine). Additionally, French troops are stationed in Odessa. By June, another 300 French soldiers are expected to arrive in Ukraine and be deployed in five regions.
NATO countries involved have not yet commented on the information reported by Russian media.
