Russia struck at Shostka. Explaining the double threat of the news about "70 dead at the training ground"

Information about the deaths of 70 soldiers as a result of a Russian strike on a training ground near Shostka on May 20 was the key news the next morning.

The Ukrainian command was accused on social media of neglecting the lives of the military, organizing training grounds directly near the border with Russia, and deliberately lining up personnel. Public figures were also among the haters. Although only the fact of the Russian strike was not distorted in this news.

"A number of news platforms took it from the Russians without verification and dragged it into our information field," says LIGA.net Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The tragedy in Shostka, which really took the lives of six defenders, highlighted two problems facing the Ukrainian army at once. We explain why this is important.

WHAT HAPPENED. On May 20, Russians fired a ballistic missile at Shostka in Sumy region. Propagandists claimed that an Iskander missile hit a "training camp" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And about the deaths of up to 70 soldiers, including 20 instructors, as well as the destruction of an ammunition depot and 10 pieces of equipment.

A few hours later, Ukrainian social media spread information that the Russians had hit a training ground in Shostka during military exercises. Some reports emphasized that it was a training exercise for recruits undergoing basic military training, who were in formation at the time of the strike.

On the morning of May 21, the National Guard reported: six soldiers were killed and more than 10 wounded in a strike during training at a military unit's shooting range.

However, the recruits, the formation and the firing range near the border with Russia are fake. In fact, it is a small shooting range on the territory of a military unit of the National Guard.

"The shooting range, unlike training grounds, is not suitable for large-scale exercises or unit coordination. It does not require a large location or material and technical base. It is needed for firearms training, bringing small arms to normal combat," explained LIGA.net in the press service of the National Guard.

Some military units have their own shooting ranges. But not all of them have firing ranges. "The NGU has no firing ranges either in Shostka or in Sumy region," the press service added .

At the same time, according to interlocutors LIGA.net in the army, the presence of shooting ranges in border or frontline areas is a reality that cannot be changed.

Ukrainian troops do not always have permanent locations somewhere in the rear. Not all defenders have the opportunity to travel to some special place far enough away from the combat zone to shoot. Especially if the unit has its own shooting range. The main thing is to organize such training properly .

WHY IT MATTERS. The first problem highlighted by the Shostka tragedy is the speed with which Russian disinformation can spread. In just a few hours, the military unit's firing range turned into a training ground with recruits lining up online.

"A number of information platforms took this from the Russians without checking it and put it into our information space," Kovalenko says. "The problem is that many people do not understand the military topic and do not wait for an official reaction, but chase after a news story.".

The second and more important problem is the neglect of security rules.

As four servicemen from different units of the National Guard and the Armed Forces told LIGA.net on condition of anonymity, security and behavioral protocols during air raids are standard for all military units.

The key to preserving personnel is to disperse.

At the time of the strike, an air raid warning was sounding in Shostka. Orders to ignore it were repeatedly sent to the units, the National Guard's press service assures. Even if the alert was raised because of enemy drones.

Russian forces are actively using drones (e.g., Orlan-10, Zala, Lantset) for reconnaissance, artillery fire adjustment, and missile strikes.

In border regions, such as Sumy region, Russians are trying to conduct aerial reconnaissance to identify military facilities, critical infrastructure (power plants, warehouses, logistics hubs), and even civilian objects. "This is consistent with the nature of hybrid warfare and the nature of Russia's actions during a full-scale invasion," the National Guard says .

State Border Guard Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko clarified LIGA.net that in 2025 Russia significantly increased the use of drones along the border with Ukraine.

"The biggest activity is recorded in Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions," he says. "These are fiber-optic drones, FPV, and drone drops. They are trying to actively conduct reconnaissance with the help of reconnaissance drones. Using the means we have, we are trying to counteract the unimpeded flights of enemy reconnaissance drones.".

WHAT'S NEXT. The investigation is to find out why the air raid alert was ignored in Shostka, why the reconnaissance drone flew overhead, and why the personnel did not disperse .

The commander of the military unit has been suspended, and the necessary information has been passed on to law enforcement agencies, the National Guard says. "The command of the National Guard of Ukraine and law enforcement agencies will give a strict legal assessment of the actions of all officials based on the results of the inspection and investigation of the tragic incident that occurred yesterday as a result of a missile attack in Sumy region," the NGU emphasizes .