From the functions in the Groda to the landfill in Sumy region: why Russia is still resorted to attacks on the clusters of people
Two years ago, on October 5, 2023, Russian troops struck a rocket strike on a cafe in the village of Groza, Kupyansk district, Kharkiv region. At the time of the attack, a funeral lunch was held at the establishment for the soldier killed at the front by a serviceman Andriy Kozyr. The tragedy took numerous lives, leaving a deep mark in the community.
On October 10 of that year, the head of the investigative police department of Kharkiv region Sergey Bolvinov reported that the number of victims had increased to 53 people, all of them were identified by criminalists. At the same time, five people are considered missing. Subsequently, the number of casualties increased to 59 people. The rocket strike had catastrophic effects on local families. Six children remained full of orphans, five more lost one of the parents.
This attack became an next example of the cruelty of a war against civilians. On October 11, the SBU discovered traitors who brought Iskander into the village. They were the brothers Vladimir and Dmitry Mammon. During the occupation, they went to the side of the enemy, receiving positions in the occupation administration. After the liberation of Kharkiv region, they fled to Russia, from where they were asked into local information on defense forces and mass measures, which led to a tragic blow.
The Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Oleksandr Pavlychenko drew attention to critical security issues in the frontier regions of Ukraine. According to him, constant alarm signals create a tense atmosphere, complicating the organization of any action. In these areas, people live in a state of increased readiness, where every sound can signal danger. It is not just a technical signal - it is a way of survival that affects the psychological state of the population.
Pavlychenko gave an example of a tragedy in Chernihiv, where shelling of the exhibition of military equipment led to the death of people. This case emphasizes the need for clear security protocols even for peaceful events. "In the frontline regions, any assembly, including ritual measures, can be a target. For example, during the burial of the dead warrior and further commemoration, there was a firing aimed at civilians that were unrelated to hostilities.
The expert emphasized the problem of traitors among the local population who cooperate with the invaders. The military is aware of such risks, but civilians often underestimate the threat. To reduce the danger, Pavlychenko advises to use civilian clothing for specialists, avoid the appearance of military facilities and minimize the dissemination of information about measures.
This is especially important for commemorative events that are emotionally important, but in war conditions become vulnerable. As for the mistakes, Pavlychenko noted that such measures are difficult to protect. "This is part of the culture, honor to the dead, but in the frontline zones is a risk. I do not urge to give up rituals, but I advise you to spend them indoors, without wide announcement and with the check of participants. Traitors who convey coordinates, consciously directed the kills.
tribunals, "the expert adds. Another threat is the use of drones for civilian attacks. According to Pavlychenko, since 2024 it has become a tendency. Drones allow the enemy to strike accurately, making the civilian population. To counter requires increased air defense, but at the individual level - avoiding clumps of people. Pavlychenko emphasized that security in the frontal regions is a collective responsibility.
The authorities should strengthen the safety protocols and citizens should be vigilant. He recommends limiting the dissemination of information about measures, using protected communication channels and cooperation with law enforcement officers to identify traitors. The tragedy in the village of Groza in 2023 demonstrated the vulnerability of civilians and the risk of people in the frontal regions. However, the most vulnerable are the military at landfills.
On May 20, 2025, the Russian rocket hit the shooting near Shostka in Sumy region, where they were trained at that moment. At least six servicemen were killed, more than ten more were injured. The object is less than 50 kilometers from the front line, which from the beginning made it vulnerable to hostile attacks. Immediately after the tragedy, the commander of the military unit was removed from the performance of duties, and the materials were handed over to law enforcement agencies.
The National Guard stated that the official investigation should establish all the circumstances of the incident, and the perpetrators will receive a legal assessment. At the same time, military experts emphasize that the problem lies not only in specific officials, but also in systemic miscalculations. According to analyst Dmitry Snegirev, the management of the training center ignored the signs that the territory is under hostile observation.
In particular, it was about the flights of drones that could pass the coordinates for the impact. He calls the absence of an adequate reaction by official negligence, which has led to irreparable consequences. "The command should dispersate the personnel and take into account the risks, not concentrate dozens of people on the open site," the expert emphasized the focus. Such tragedies have happened earlier.
As early as 2022, the Russian rocket destroyed part of the Yavoriv landfill where foreign instructors were located. In 2023, the strikes were applied to training centers in Chernihiv and Transcarpathia, and this year they were killed at the landfill near the Dnieper. After each case, service inspections were conducted, removed individual executives, but the army did not make systematic conclusions.
Experts are convinced that in order to avoid new tragedies, it is necessary to change the approach to the organization of exercises. First, training centers should not be located too close to the border with Russia. Secondly, commanders should follow the safety rules and dispersate the fighters. Third, it is necessary to increase the opposition of hostile drones, which often become "eyes" for rocket strokes.
At the beginning of August 2025, the Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces Alexander Sirsky proposed to significantly change the approach to the organization of military exercises - in particular, to translate landfills and training centers underground. After numerous drones and rockets on open objects, he insisted that "the educational process should be as much as possible underground", and the reaction to air alarm and the appearance of enemy drones should be instantaneous.
The idea looks promising in terms of security, but in practice it faces a number of significant challenges. Military analyst Oleg Zhdanov notes that the construction of underground landfills is a difficult and expensive task. Even simple small -scale shoots, equipped with a rock or in the soil, require large investments. For complex landfills with artillery shooting, armored vehicles, they need much more resources and time - from a year to a year or more.
Another problem is the relief and the nature of the sites on which the landfills are now located. Many of them are on marshy or sandy soils that are unsuitable for agriculture, so they were selected because of the low economic value of land. But such conditions complicate engineering work and erection of underground structures. In addition to infrastructure challenges, there is another important weak link - discipline and orders.
Zhdanov emphasizes that there have already been cases where the military ignored teams about shelters, which led to losses even when shelters were available. Anton Earth from the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation believes that partly the idea can be implemented: for example, to translate theoretical classes to dungeons, to increase the number of reinforced concrete shelters, to enhance the development of systems of counteraction to enemy drones.
But he agrees that completely underground landfills are rather a hypothetical goal than a nearby reality. Today, the Armed Forces already have separate underground dash and shelters on landfills and training centers, but they are not massive and cover only part of the training. For example, underground grenade launcher or artillery shooting is impossible in closed conditions.
Therefore, the initiative of Syrsky has the potential to reduce the risks, but its implementation will take time, large -scale investments, engineering creativity and high discipline among the military - and even with all this it is impossible to fully "hide" all training underground.