Deadly Shooting After an Argument Between Ukrainian Troopers in Kharkiv Region

On Wednesday, July 24, following some sort of disagreement there was a shooting in one of the units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces based in the Kharkiv Region. As a result, three soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded, according to the Telegram channel of the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops.

The wounded servicemen were sent to the Military Medical Clinical Center for emergency medical care, where it is currently reported they remain in critical condition.

The Khortytsia did not specify the details of the conflict between the military or the unit in which the incident occurred but said that the military law and order service as well as civilian polic officials were working at the scene.

“Management is taking all necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” it added.

Violence among fellow soldiers involving mass shootings is, fortunately, a rare occurrence but remains a sensitive issue for both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces.

In January 2022, only weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 21-year-old Ukrainian national guard conscript, named as Artemiy Ryabchuk, killed four fellow soldiers and a civilian with an assault rifle at an aerospace factory in Pivdenmash near the eastern city of Dnipro. The incident occurred as weapons were being issued to the security detail at the factory. It was suspected that Ryabchuk had been the target of bullying by some of his older comrades.

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