The Russian battalion congregated at a training area near the village of Trudovske in occupied eastern Ukraine when the two missiles struck, The BBC reported Wednesday. Sources familiar with the incident told the outlet that the soldiers were gathered to await the arrival of a senior commander. Ukraine has yet to comment on the strike, but the BBC reported a US-made HIMARS launch system was used to fire the two missiles. In August, Ukraine said it launched a HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach that resulted in 200 casualties and destroyed equipment. Some accounts at the time suggested the troops had been gathered to await a general's pep talk before a dangerous mission.

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Persons: —, Alexander Osipov, Osipov, Yaroslav Trofimov, Oleg Moiseyev, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Simon Miles, flack Organizations: Service, Russian, BBC, Business, Telegram, Wall Street, 29th Army of, Defense, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union Locations: Russia, Trudovske, Ukraine, Transbaikalia, Soviet, Russian