The Russian brigade blamed for the Bucha killings is now turning on the families of its own dead. The command of the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade, fighting near Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, is intimidating the wives of missing soldiers who try to learn their fate, the ATESH partisan movement reported.

The brigade is reportedly hiding its dead by calling them missing. The relabeling lets Russia fake a lower death toll while cheating the dead soldiers' families. By logging killed troops as "missing" rather than dead, the 64th Brigade keeps its real losses out of Russia's casualty statistics and out of the compensation system.

Dmitry Shabaev, the commander of the 64th Brigade, systematically ignores the appeals of wives and mothers trying to find their relatives, the partisans claim.

Meanwhile, security services and counterintelligence pressure the women, threatening them with criminal cases for "discrediting" the army and total loss of any payments if they keep searching, according to ATESH.

The command relabels the dead to hide losses

ATESH described the mechanism with a recent example. On 30 May 2026, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the "Prymorskyi Posad" training ground in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast used by the 64th Brigade, and the unit's losses were at least 31 soldiers, 13 of whom the staff promptly wrote off as "missing."

The Kremlin relies on hard commanders like Shabaev, who became brigade commander in 2025 and has already "zeroed out" several rotations of his battalions, ATESH said.

The unit is the same one tied to Bucha

The 64th Brigade carries a specific history. At the start of the full-scale war, it operated in the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast and is one of the main subjects of the Bucha war-crimes investigations.

That record is documented. Weeks after Ukrainian forces retook Bucha in April 2022 and revealed executed civilians in the streets, Vladimir Putin awarded the 64th Brigade an honorary "Guards" title.

Ukraine's National Police has reported that it has served notices of suspicion on Russian soldiers involved in crimes in Bucha. On 23 or 24 March 2022, around 13:00, during the temporary occupation of Kyiv Oblast, the invaders brought a 34-year-old civilian woman to Vokzalna Street, where five Russian soldiers were based at the time, and raped her.

Their actions grossly violated the Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in wartime and Additional Protocol I. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, rape or any other form of sexual violence in conditions of international armed conflict is a war crime.

What the investigation established

The investigation identified two of the men as the direct perpetrators of the sexual violence. One of them is Radii Zaburin, and the other is Radii Zaburin. They took the woman into a bathhouse, where, using physical force against her, they raped her in turn, the investigation established.

When the woman tried to escape, Monakhov opened fire at her, and she died of her wounds, per the police. An indictment on the fact of the murder is already before the court. Both men are suspected of cruel treatment of the civilian population under Part 1 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, on the violation of the laws and customs of war.

Who the two soldiers are

Both of the Russian soldiers served in the 234th Air Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Division of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, military unit No. 74268, according to the dossiers published by the Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People, a Ukrainian registry documenting Russian war crimes.

Radii Zaburin, born 2 October 1995 in Usolye-Sibirskoye, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, held the position of senior mechanic-driver in the artillery unit at the time of the crime, with the rank of junior sergeant, per the registry.

Denis Monakhov, born 11 November 1997 in the village of Palkino, Pskov Oblast, Russia, was deputy commander of a self-propelled artillery platoon and commander of a 2S9 "Nona-S" self-propelled gun, with the rank of sergeant. During the investigation, the two were identified as the direct perpetrators of the sexual violence.

The case is one of hundreds Ukraine is documenting

The Bucha charges are part of a vast accounting Ukraine is building for conflict-related sexual violence. Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General has verified 365 cases of conflict-related sexual violence since 2022, involving survivors aged four to 80, and 19 Russian soldiers have been convicted in absentia for such crimes. UN monitors estimate that for each reported case, 10 to 20 go unreported.

Bucha holds a specific place in that record. The town became the emblem of Russian atrocities before Ukrainian forces retook it in early April 2022, revealing executed civilians in the streets and numerous cases of sexual violence. Naming Zaburin and Monakhov adds two documented perpetrators to a case file Ukraine is assembling for the day these charges can be brought in a courtroom rather than in absentia. The indictment for the murder is already before a court; the two men are reportedly in Russia, beyond Ukraine's reach for now, but the record of what they did in a bathhouse on Vokzalna Street in March 2022 is now on the books under their names.

Ukraine has detained the chief organizer of the defense industry event struck by a Russian ballistic missile in Kyiv Oblast on 24 July, as investigators examine whether security failures contributed to an attack that killed 10 people and injured about 100.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stressed that Russia alone bears responsibility for the strike, calling it another war crime, while saying investigators are also examining circumstances that may have increased the scale of the tragedy.

"Russia committed this war crime," Kravchenko said. "But the investigation is also establishing the circumstances that may have increased the scale of this tragedy."

Investigation focuses on event organization

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, an arms industry association organized the event without approval from the military command or regional and district military administrations.

Investigators say more than 300 people were invited to the outdoor demonstration, which featured Ukrainian air defense technologies and other defense systems. The nearest bomb shelter, measuring just 34 square meters, was located about 100 meters from the venue.

Authorities said invitations were distributed nine days before the event, while the exact location and time were shared with confirmed participants one day before it took place. Investigators are examining whether those arrangements could have enabled Russia to prepare a targeted missile strike.

The event's chief organizer has been detained on suspicion of official negligence resulting in grave consequences. Prosecutors said searches were carried out at the association's office and the homes of individuals involved in organizing the event.

Kravchenko said investigators will also assess whether officials from the National Police, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), military command, state authorities, or local governments failed to respond appropriately to potential security risks.

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Russia kills at least 10 in rare daytime ballistic strike on Kyiv defense industry event, as fears grow of larger attack to come

Association rejects claims of public disclosure

The ARMADA Association, which organized the demonstration, said it would fully cooperate with investigators but rejected claims that the venue had been publicly advertised.

In a statement, the association said the event was a closed practical demonstration for representatives of Ukraine's defense industry and potential users of anti-aircraft and counter-drone technologies.

It said the exact location was never publicly disclosed and was shared only with registered and vetted participants. The association also disputed online claims that promotional materials circulating on social media were public announcements, saying they were invitations distributed through closed channels.

ARMADA said the demonstration required an open area because participants were testing air defense, electronic warfare, radar, and drone interception systems under realistic conditions.

The association urged the public not to share photographs, videos, participant information, or the exact location while the investigation is ongoing.

Russia's strike killed 10 and injured 100

Russia launched the daytime ballistic missile attack on 24 July, striking the event in Bucha district, Kyiv Oblast. The attack killed 10 people, injured around 100 others, and damaged dozens of nearby homes and vehicles.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched three ballistic missiles during the attack. Air defenses intercepted one, while two struck Bucha district.

Kyiv Oblast observed a day of mourning on 25 July in memory of those killed, with flags lowered across the region and entertainment events restricted.

Russia launched a rare daytime ballistic missile strike on Kyiv Oblast on 24 July, killing at least 10 people and injuring around 100 after two missiles hit a private training ground where representatives of Ukraine's defense industry were gathered, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack came after an overnight drone assault on the Kyiv region and amid repeated warnings from Ukrainian military monitoring channels that Russia had accumulated large numbers of missiles and attack drones in preparation for a new mass strike on Kyiv. 

Beyond the strike on the training ground, the attack damaged 27 private homes and 44 vehicles in Bucha district, according to local authorities.

Two ballistic missiles hit Kyiv Oblast, one intercepted

According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, at least 10 people were killed and about 100 injured in the strike. The casualty toll may rise as emergency crews continue working at the scene.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia struck the grounds of a private training facility in Kyiv Oblast where an event was taking place. The Kyiv Oblast Military Administration said the Bucha district suffered the heaviest damage.

Ukraine's Air Force later clarified that Russia launched three Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles from the north at around 11:30 a.m. Air defenses intercepted one missile, while two struck targets in Bucha district. 

Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said the military has long prohibited large public gatherings because of the constant threat of Russian missile strikes, adding that investigators would determine whether security procedures had been properly followed, according to Suspilne.

The Prosecutor General's Office has opened two criminal investigations: one into a Russian war crime and another into possible negligence in organizing the event that may have contributed to the deaths.

Ballistic missiles remain Ukraine's most difficult aerial threat

The daytime strike was unusual. Although Russia has sharply increased its use of ballistic missiles against Kyiv in recent months – now targeting the capital roughly once or twice a week – most of those attacks have been launched overnight. Friday's daylight strike showed that the threat is no longer confined to nighttime raids.

Ballistic missiles are among the most dangerous weapons in Russia's arsenal because they travel at several times the speed of sound, often leaving civilians only a few minutes to seek shelter after an air raid alert, which is simply impossible for most. Unlike slower cruise missiles and drones, they descend on steep trajectories, making them much harder to intercept.

Only a small number of advanced air defense systems, primarily the US-made Patriot, are capable of reliably engaging Russian ballistic missiles such as the Iskander-M and North Korean KN-23 variants. Ukraine has repeatedly warned that it does not have enough Patriot batteries or interceptor missiles to defend every threatened city, forcing commanders to prioritize protection of the most critical areas.

Russia has increasingly exploited those limitations. In recent months, ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv have become a weekly occurrence, causing repeated civilian casualties and widespread destruction despite Kyiv's otherwise-strong air defenses. 

More than 90 drones launched as warnings of larger strike persist

The ballistic attack formed part of a broader day of Russian aerial assaults.

According to the Air Force, Russia launched more than 90 attack drones between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., over one-third of them jet-powered variants. Ukrainian air defenses reported shooting down or electronically suppressing 81 drones by 4:30 p.m.

The Air Force urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid alerts, particularly when ballistic missile threats are announced.

For several days, Ukrainian military monitoring channels have warned that Russia has been conserving cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and Shahed drones instead of expending them in routine nightly attacks, raising expectations of another coordinated mass strike.

As of Friday afternoon, those monitoring groups continued to assess that the main wave of the anticipated attack may still lie ahead, with Kyiv remaining among the most likely targets later on 24 July. Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed those assessments but continue to urge residents to respond immediately to all air raid alerts.

Zelenskyy orders coordinated response

Later on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had received reports from Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi and senior military officials on the battlefield situation and Ukraine's response to Russia's missile campaign.

The president said Ukrainian authorities had approved a coordinated package of measures involving the Armed Forces, Defense Ministry, intelligence agencies, and other state institutions in response to Russia's continuing attacks on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine's border and frontline regions, Odesa Oblast, and the country's Black Sea shipping corridor.

"We have a clear list of measures at every level," Zelenskyy said, adding that new decisions are also being prepared to speed delivery of commanders' operational requirements.