A railway train carrying servicemen from the 17th Special Purpose Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Military Law Enforcement Service was destroyed in Kharkov Region, sources in Russian security structures told RIA Novosti.

According to the sources, the Ukrainian command planned to use the personnel of this unit as blocking detachments to counter mass desertion within the Ukrainian army. It was previously reported that the unit had been redeployed to the Kharkov direction specifically for this purpose.

The source also said that obituaries for servicemen who were aboard the train have begun appearing in Ukrainian media.

The 17th Special Purpose Center is a military unit of the Military Law Enforcement Service and is subordinate to the Main Directorate of the Military Law Enforcement Service. The unit is permanently based in Lvov.