A day later, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the missile strike on Sumy on April 13, stating that it was carried out with two Iskander-M missiles on the "location of a command staff meeting of the operational-tactical group 'Seversk'." Russian military claims that more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a result of the attack.
"The Kyiv regime continues to use the Ukrainian population as a human shield, placing military facilities and conducting events involving military personnel in the center of a densely populated city," stated the ministry's message.
A day after the tragedy, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also made a statement expressing "deep concern." "We are deeply concerned about Russia's Sunday missile attack on Sumy, which continues a devastating series of such attacks. Attacks on civilians are prohibited by international law and must be stopped immediately," Guterres noted on the social network X.
He also called for a prolonged ceasefire and stated that the UN "supports meaningful efforts" aimed at achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace that "fully supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
European leaders expressed their views on the strike on Sumy in the first few hours. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X: "This morning, two Russian missiles hit the very center of the city of Sumy in Ukraine, resulting in numerous civilian casualties, including children once again. Everyone knows that only Russia wanted this war. Today it is clear that only Russia chooses to continue it."
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called the attack on Sumy another war crime, which was "a slap in the face to all who seek and desire peace." Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský noted that "Russia does not want to change, Russia does not want peace, it is led by murderers who show every day that they do not strive for peace." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes that "Putin must agree to a complete and immediate ceasefire without any conditions."
US President Donald Trump, commenting on the strike on Sumy, stated that he was told that Russia "made a mistake." "I think it was terrible. And I was told that they made a mistake. But I think it's terrible," he told journalists. When asked to clarify what he meant, Trump replied: "I think it was—look, you ask them." However, he did not specify who he was talking about, reports CNN.
"This war started because of an abuse of power," Trump said, again repeating that if he had been re-elected in 2020, Russia would not have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He then linked the casualties in Ukraine to the allegedly "rigged" US presidential election in 2020. "Millions of people who should have been alive have died. Cities across Ukraine have been destroyed. The entire culture is gone, or at least severely damaged. Churches, temples, domes—in Ukraine, they were some of the most beautiful in the world, but they were destroyed. This is what rigged elections lead to."
According to the latest data, as a result of Sunday's Russian missile strike on Sumy, 35 people died, including seven children. The number of injured had risen to 119 by the morning of April 14. One of the missiles exploded near a trolleybus, and almost all passengers received fatal injuries.
On the afternoon of April 14, another powerful explosion occurred in Sumy. Russian troops shelled the Kharkiv region, resulting in four deaths and two injuries.
Photo: TG Vladimir Zelensky