On August 29, 2026, in the village of Natalino in the Berestiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast, Russian military forces carried out a missile strike on the area where the annual memorial run "I Respect the Warriors, I Run for the Heroes of Ukraine" was being held. As a result of the attack, three people were killed and two others were injured. According to preliminary data from law enforcement agencies, a "Iskander-M" ballistic missile was used for the strike. The incident sparked widespread resonance and prompted an investigation into the actions of local officials responsible for organizing the event.
Circumstances of the attack and the nature of the event
The run "I Respect the Warriors, I Run for the Heroes of Ukraine" was held on an annual basis and was organized by the Natalino Rural Military Administration. The event had a patriotic character and was dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian warriors. On the morning of August 29, when participants and spectators were on the premises of the run, Russian military forces carried out a missile strike. According to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office and the police, an "Iskander-M" missile was most likely used for the attack. The exact type of munition remains subject to clarification at the time of publication, as the data is of a preliminary nature.
Victims and the injured
Three people were killed as a result of the missile strike. Among the dead was a police officer. Two more people sustained injuries of varying severity. As of the morning of August 30, information on the condition of the injured and their transfer to medical facilities was being clarified. Emergency services were working at the scene of the incident: ambulance crews, fire crews, and police units, as confirmed by photographs from the scene of the incident, which show "Emergency Medical Aid" vehicles and fire equipment.
Criminal case and investigation of the organizers
On August 30, investigators entered information about the incident into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations. A criminal case was opened under Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — "Dereliction of duty that resulted in the death of people." As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers are required to establish whether the organizers of the run took adequate care of the safety of participants, whether they took into account the situation with the threat of missile attacks in the region, and whether all necessary measures were taken to prevent threats to people's lives and health. The actions of the officials of the Natalino Rural Military Administration directly responsible for conducting the event are subject to review.
Context: a series of attacks on Kharkiv Oblast
The incident in Natalino occurred against the backdrop of a continuing series of missile and drone attacks on Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast. Thus, on August 28, Russian military forces struck a gas station in the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv, resulting in a fire and injuries to people. On the same day, the city was attacked by reactive drones, and the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, reported a strike on a shopping center in the Kyivskyi district. On the evening of August 29, the same day as the attack on Natalino, a Russian drone hit a gas station near an apartment building, which also led to a fire. The regularity of such strikes raises the question of the permissibility of holding large open events in an area of active hostilities.
The investigation into the case of dereliction of duty is ongoing. Final conclusions on the degree of the organizers' guilt and the presence or absence of a violation of safety requirements will be made based on the results of investigative actions. At the time of publication on August 30, 2026, official authorities did not report the detention of any individuals.
