Photo: SES of Ukraine
On Sunday, 13 April, when Christians celebrated Palm Sunday, Russian troops launched another massive missile attack on Ukraine. This time, the centre of Sumy came under attack – the attack was carried out with Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles.
According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russian units of the 112th and 448th missile brigades fired missiles at the city from the territory of Voronezh and Kursk regions.
“Another war crime by Russia – a ballistic missile strike on Sumy, the killing of Ukrainian civilians. Many people were going to church on Palm Sunday, some were returning home from the service. This is yet another proof of the godlessness of the disgusting cursed Moscow,” said Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.
He clarified that the missiles were launched at Sumy from the settlements of Liski (Voronezh region) and Lezhenki (Kursk region).
According to the Ukrainian authorities, at least 31 people, including two children, were killed in the shelling, and more than 80 were wounded. Among the dead were civilians who were on their way to or returning from church services.
According to the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, the occupiers used a rocket with cluster munitions, a prohibited type of weapon that is dangerous to civilians.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already responded to the tragedy in Sumy, stressing that Russia must be held fully accountable for every such crime.
“Our common cause is to ensure that no war criminal – from those who gave the orders to those who launched the missiles – escapes retribution,” Budanov stressed.
This is not the first strike by the Russian army against civilian objects in Ukraine on religious holidays. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly recorded such attacks as deliberate tactics to intimidate civilians and commit terrorist acts against Ukrainians.
