Ukraine’s defense minister on Saturday ordered an investigation into a Russian ballistic missile attack on a Ukrainian assault brigade after reports emerged that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony, Reuters reported.

“I sympathize with the families of the soldiers of the 128th Transcarpathian Separate Airborne Assault Brigade who died in the line of duty,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on social media, adding that he had ordered a “thorough investigation.”

In a separate statement on the Telegram messenger, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia region with an Iskander ballistic missile.

“Soldiers were killed, local residents were also injured,” the army said, without specifying how many soldiers died.

The statements came after a series of earlier reports on Ukrainian social media and military bloggers that more than 20 soldiers were killed in a village near the front line in Zaporozhye during Friday’s Artillery Day awards ceremony.

In the daily reports on combat operations of the Russian Ministry of Defense, it was noted only that Russian troops “fired” on a unit of the Ukrainian airborne assault brigade in this region, killing up to 30 servicemen.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports, adding that both Russia and Ukraine often underestimate the number of soldiers lost and exaggerate the losses they say they inflicted on each other.