Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday killed dozens of civilians. According to the latest data, 35 people died, including two children. 117 people were injured, 15 of whom were children.
World leaders condemned the Russian attack on Sumy, and a discussion has flared up in Ukraine about what could have been the reason for the attack. Verkhovna Rada deputy from the "Servant of the People" party Maryana Bezukhlaya reproached the authorities for still gathering Ukrainian servicemen in one place to be awarded, which puts them under the threat of a targeted strike by Russia. Konotop Mayor Artyom Semenikhin accused the head of the Sumy regional administration, Vladimir Artyukh, of coordinating the holding of an event in the city to award soldiers from the 117th brigade.
"Not a single war criminal should escape retribution"
Two ballistic missiles were fired at Sumy. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, one hit a university building, and the second exploded in the city center.
It was the second strike that was particularly deadly. "The second ballistic missile fired by the Russians at Sumy was probably full of shrapnel and exploded in the air to cause maximum damage to people on the streets of the city. "According to preliminary conclusions, most of the civilians died precisely from these striking elements," said the head of the Sumy City Military Administration, Serhiy Krivoshenko.
According to his data, the explosion occurred in an area where there are residential buildings, educational institutions and shops. "These actions of the terrorists show that the attack was planned specifically against civilian objects and peaceful people on the streets."
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has established that the strikes were carried out by the Russian missile brigades 112 and 448. The head of the department, Kirill Budanov, said: "Our common task is to ensure that not a single war criminal - from those who gave the orders to those who fired the missiles - escapes retribution."
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also promised a response, noting that Russia has once again demonstrated a lack of will for peace. "Its goal is to sow fear. But Russia will receive our fury and inevitable retribution. Our response will be firm."
Reprimands to the military and the administration in Sumy
Meanwhile, a debate has flared up in Ukrainian society and on social networks about the likely reasons for Russia's strike on Sumy. It all started with MP Maryana Bezukhlaya's reproach to the Ukrainian military leadership. "Do not gather the military for an award ceremony, especially in cities that are full of civilians. The Russians had information about the concentration of military personnel," she wrote on Telegram. Bezukhlaya also recalled another tragic case - a Russian strike in November 2023, also during an award ceremony for military personnel.
The mayor of Konotop, Artyom Semenikhin, accused the Sumy administration of coordinating the event to award military personnel. According to him, the Sumy regional governor was warned about the danger, but nevertheless agreed to the event. "Target number one was civilians, especially children. Target number two was the military", said Semenikhin, adding that the military were not injured because they were in hiding.
The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Bezukhlaya and Semenikhin's claims, stating that the strikes in Sumy were directed against military personnel and resulted in the deaths of over 60 servicemen. This data cannot be verified, but according to the information available so far, the victims of the attack were mostly civilians.
If there really was a military award meeting at the Sumy University, then the people who issued this order should be held accountable before a military tribunal, counterterrorism expert Yevgeny Dikiy told DW. According to him, a large concentration of military personnel in one place can be avoided. But even if something like this is done, it should not be in the center of a city. "Russian missiles are not very accurate and may target the military, but hit civilians."
"Stop looking for the guilty in Ukraine"
Military observer Konstantin Mashovets is convinced that the strike on the center of Sumy is one of the important elements in the overall strategy to force Ukraine to capitulate in accordance with the Kremlin's conditions. "The main goal is to form in the public opinion of Ukrainians a sharp rejection of any continuation of the war in Ukraine. Fear, a sense of helplessness and fatality are the main target priorities of the enemy," he wrote on Facebook. According to Mashovets, in this way Russia wants to shake Ukrainian society and maximally reduce the level of resilience and the ability to resist.
According to "Politico", Russia's goal is to terrorize the civilian population and turn it against the Ukrainian military and government, which as a result will be forced to sue for peace with Moscow. The publication quotes Ukrainian military analyst Mykola Beleskov as saying: "The goal of this total war is to force civilians to put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to negotiate on Russia's terms. So far, the Russians have not been able to achieve this, but they believe that there is a critical point beyond which civilians will begin to direct their hatred not towards the Russian Federation, but towards the Ukrainian government".
Public figure Oleksandra Dvoretska, in turn, calls on Ukrainians to stop looking for the guilty in Ukraine and not to attack the military, who defend Ukraine every day. "Our task is to record Russian crimes, to talk about them, referring to the facts and details as accurately as possible, and to seek responsibility from those who gave the order", she wrote on Facebook and added: "Such a missile does not distinguish who you are - a soldier or a teacher, a child or an adult, whether you are at a bus stop, in a concert hall or on a park bench. These are thousands of steel bullets flying at insane speed and taking human lives. This is not an accurate hit. This is terror".
Author: Alexander Kunitsky