| 2025 Sumy airstrike | |
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| Part ofAttacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
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| Location | Sumy,Ukraine |
| Date | 13 April 2025 10:20 a.m. (UTC+3) |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Weapon | TwoIskander-M missiles |
| Deaths | 35 |
| Injured | 129 |
| Perpetrator |  Russia |
On 13 April 2025,Russia launched a missile strike inSumy in northeasternUkraine that killed at least 35 people, including two children. It was the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilianssince 2023. The strike, which occurred as residents gathered forPalm Sunday church services, also wounded 129 people, with 15 of the injured being children.Ukrainian officials reported thatRussian forces usedballistic missiles withcluster munitions.[1][2][3]BBC News Russian affirmed the use ofhigh-explosive incendiary (HEI) munitions instead.[4]
The attack reportedly targeted a planned military award ceremony for Ukraine's117th Territorial Defense Brigade.[5][6]Sumy Oblast Military Administration Governor,Volodymyr Artyukh, was dismissed from his post for allegedly planning the ceremony and putting civilians and soldiers at risk.[7]
The attack follows a pattern of intensifiedRussian aerial operations inSumy Oblast, which borders Russian territory. In recent weeks,Russian forces had increasedmissile strikes andaerial attacks in the region while simultaneously pushing Ukrainian military units from positions in the adjacentKursk Oblast of Russia. Some minor settlements within Sumy Oblast had reportedly fallen under Russian occupation prior to this attack.[1]
The Sumy strike occurred just days after anothermissile attack killed 20 civilians inKryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine.[1]
The assault targeted Sumy's city center duringPalm Sunday church attendance, one of the year's most significant religious observances. According to the head of the regional military administrationVolodymyr Artyukh, two ballistic missiles struck densely populated areas.[1][8] One of the missiles was recorded striking at 10:20 a.m.EEST.[9]Kyrylo Budanov, the Head of theMain Directorate of Intelligence, reported that the attack was carried out byRussian units of the112th [uk] and448th Rocket Brigades, who struck with twoIskander-M /Hwasong-11A (KN-23)ballistic missiles from the settlements ofLiski inVoronezh Oblast andLezhenki [ru] in Kursk Oblast.[10]
Former Ukrainian MPsIhor Mosiychuk and Maryana Bezuglaya stated that aUkrainian military formation for an awards ceremony could have taken place in Sumy during the attack, thoughReuters was not able to independently confirm this. Mosiychuk stated that the event concerned servicemen of the117th Territorial Defense Brigade and that civilians, including children, were also present.[11][12][13] Mayor ofKonotop Artem Semenikhin also stated onFacebook an award ceremony was to take place near the attack site.The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims, while according toUkrainska Pravda its sources confirmed the ceremony was scheduled to take place.[5] On 14 April, Artyukh said he had been invited to the ceremony but said he did not organize it.[6] Subsequently, the government dismissed Artyukh from office for making comments that appeared to confirm a military award ceremony was taking place.[14][15]
The Washington Post published on 16 April an article that contained an interview with a soldier of the 117th Brigade, claiming that on the day of the attack he, along with other soldiers, were gathered for the award ceremony in the basement of the university building.[16]
One of the attacks struck close to the Congress Center ofSumy State University, where the regional office of theVerkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights [uk], the Human Rights Protection Center, is located.[17][18] Kremlin spokesmanDmitry Peskov stated that military servicemen were gathered at the Congress Center for an awards ceremony, and were a military target.[19]
Ukrainian authorities indicated thatcluster munitions appeared to have been utilized in the attack. These weapons release multiple explosive submunitions across wide areas, presenting particular dangers to civilian populations when deployed near residential zones.[1]
BBC News Russian reported, citing dashcam footage, that the second rocket's strike occurred at ground level or low altitude, which is atypical for acluster munition detonation. The report further noted that during cluster munition strikes, some submunitions often fail to detonate, remaining scattered at the site. It argued that if such items had been found on the ground, images would likely have been shared on Ukrainian social media platforms.[4]
At least 35 people were killed in the attack and 129 were injured,[20][21] including 15 children.[22] Among the victims was Olena Kohut, anorganist of the Sumy Regional Philharmonic Orchestra.[23]
According to theBerdychiv rada and local media, colonelYuri Yula [uk], commander of the27th Rocket Artillery Brigade and former vice-commander of the 26th Rocket Artillery Brigade, was killed in the strike.[24][25][26]
The strike destroyed multiple buildings and vehicles, with significant damage to residential structures. Among the most severe losses was atrolleybus hit during the attack, with regional administration head Artyukh confirming that most passengers aboard died.[1][8]
The Guardian characterized the strikes on Sumy as the worst civilian attack in Ukraine since the start of 2025.[9] CNN reported the strike as the worst civilian attack in Ukraine since theHroza missile attack in October 2023, which killed 59 people.[1]
Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy strongly condemned the attack, characterizing it as deliberateterrorism and calling for stronger international pressure on Russia. In his statement, Zelenskyy emphasized that "talking has never stopped ballistic missiles and bombs" and urged the global community to respond forcefully.[1][2] Zelenskyy urged allies to send 10 morePatriot air defense systems to protect Ukraine.[9]
Foreign MinisterAndrii Sybiha described the targeting of civilians during a religious holiday as "absolute evil" and appealed to international partners for enhanced air defense capabilities. Finance MinisterYulia Svyrydenko highlighted the timing of the attack on one of the year's busiest church attendance days.Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, characterized the possible use of cluster armaments as deliberately calculated to inflict maximum civilian casualties.[1]
Mayor ofKonotop and a member ofSvoboda,Artem Semenikhin announced a day of mourning in tribute to the victims of "Muscovite aggression".[27] He accused the head of the regional military administration Volodymyr Artyukh and head of the SumySecurity Service of Ukraine Oleg Krasnoshapka of setting up the military ceremony in the center of Sumy regardless of civilian presence, nearby ongoing Sumy border military operations, and prior warnings that the ceremony should not be conducted. He demanded their immediate resignation and an apology "to the people" by 6 p.m. on the day of the disaster, threatening to tell more details regarding the attack otherwise.[28][29][30] He characterized both as "accomplices" to Russian war crimes, and urged theOffice of the President of Ukraine to “hide Artyukh behind bars”.[28][29]
Russian foreign ministerSergei Lavrov said that a facility that was hit where there were "military commanders" and their "Western colleagues".[31] The Russian defence ministry claimed without evidence to have killed over 60 troops.[32]
In Russian state media, TV presenterVladimir Solovyov said the strike, two days after Steve Witkoff's visit to Saint Petersburg, was a "staged provocation" intended by "the Ukrainian authorities" to undermine ceasefire talks between the United States and Russia.[33] Head of RT and Rossiya SegodnyaMargarita Simonyan posted on X (Twitter), calling the attack a "manufactured atrocity big enough to impress Trump" staged and amplified by "Ukraine's paymasters", mentioning French presidentEmmanuel Macron and US special envoy to UkraineKeith Kellogg.[34]
The missile strike prompted harsh condemnation from multiple international figures.Kaja Kallas, chief diplomat and foreign policy chief of theEuropean Union, described the attack as a "horrific example of Russia intensifying attacks while Ukraine has accepted anunconditional ceasefire".[1]President of the European CommissionUrsula von der Leyen stated that "Russian cruelty struck again," in a post onX, and characterized the attack as "barbaric" and a "grim reminder" of Russia being the sole aggressor in thewar. She emphasized that Europe stood with Ukraine and with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.[35]
French PresidentEmmanuel Macron urged "strong measures" to enforce a ceasefire. Macron said: "Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war." British Prime MinisterKeir Starmer condemned "Russia’s horrific attacks on civilians" and said Russian PresidentVladimir Putin must agree "to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions".[9] Matthias Schmale, theUnited Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, issued a statement condemning the strike "in the strongest possible terms" and emphasized thatinternational humanitarian law expressly prohibits strikes against "civilians and civilian infrastructure".[1] Germany's chancellor-in-waitingFriedrich Merz condemned the attack and accused Vladimir Putin of committing a "war crime". Merz said that "Our willingness to discuss with him is interpreted not as a serious offer to make peace, but as weakness."[36]
Polish Prime MinisterDonald Tusk called the attacks "Bloody Palm Sunday", while thePolish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement which "condemned Russia's barbaric missile strike on Sumy".[37]
Finnish presidentAlexander Stubb called for increased sanctions targeting Russia, describing the nation as having no regard forhumanitarian law orinternational law. Moldovan presidentMaia Sandu urged Ukrainian allies to provide the nation greaterair defense, emphasizing that Russia had "no justification for such evil" and that it must face accountability. Estonian prime ministerKristen Michal stated that the attack proved that Russia's goal was to "erase Ukraine", and demanded further aid for Ukraine along with greater pressure against Russia.[38]
Keith Kellogg, U.S. PresidentDonald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, condemned the strike and said it crossed "any line of decency".[39] Trump called the attack "a horrible thing", said "I was told they made a big mistake", and additionally blamed Zelenskyy for "letting the war start".[40][41][42] US Secretary of StateMarco Rubio expressed condolences to the victims of the "horrifying Russian missile attack".[43]
Israel expressed its deepest condolences to Ukraine and "the families who lost their loved ones in the recent Russian attack in Sumy."[44]
UN Secretary-GeneralAntonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed and shocked" by the attack. The UN chief's spokesmanStephane Dujarric recalled that "attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law."[36]
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