Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty submitted his resignation due to the tragedy at the 239th training ground, where a Russian strike killed a military training battalion.

Source: Drapaty on Facebook

Direct speech: “I have decided to submit my resignation from the post of Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This is a deliberate step dictated by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy at the 239th training ground, which resulted in the deaths of our soldiers.”

Details: Drapaty noted that as a commander, he failed to fully ensure the execution of his orders.

“I did not push, did not convince, did not change the attitude to the man in the ranks. This is my responsibility.

The behavior of the soldiers matters, but the main responsibility always lies with the command. It is the commanders who determine the rules, make decisions and are responsible for the consequences,” he wrote.

Drapaty noted that mutual responsibility and impunity are poison for the army.

“I tried to eradicate it from the Land Forces. But if tragedies are repeated, it means that my efforts were not enough,” he added.

Direct speech: “An army where commanders are personally responsible for people’s lives lives. An army where no one is responsible for a loss is dying from within.

12 dead. There are wounded. These are young guys from a training battalion. Most of them were in shelters. They were supposed to study, live, fight - not die. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who suffered.”

Details: Drapatyi said he had initiated an investigation into all the circumstances of the tragedy: the actions of commanders, the condition of shelters, and the effectiveness of warning systems. All victims are being provided with assistance.

“We will not win this war if we do not build an army where honor is not a word, but an action. Where responsibility is not a punishment but a basis of trust. Where every commander is responsible every day - for an order, for a decision, for a person,” he said.

What happened before: On June 1, Russian troops launched a missile attack on a training unit of the Ukrainian Army, leaving at least 12 dead and more than 60 wounded.

On March 3, the Land Forces reported that on March 1, one of their units was the target of an enemy missile attack, with some dead and wounded. Prior to that, information was published on social media about a Russian attack on a training ground in Cherkaske, Dnipro region, where Ukrainian soldiers of the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade were lining up. At the time, Drapaty said that he was personally monitoring every step to find out everything second by second.