Image Credentials: Image Title: Devastation on Palm Sunday: Dozens Killed in Russian Missile Attack on Ukrainian City of Sumy Source: AI-Generated Image (Grok, xAI) Date: April 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (Grok, xAI), and it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer with Agencies
KYIV, Ukraine – April 14, 2025 — Ukraine’s top intelligence chief has identified the Russian military units responsible for the deadly missile strike on Sumy that killed at least 34 civilians, including two children, during Palm Sunday observances on April 13.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), released a statement naming the 112th and 448th Russian missile brigades as those who carried out the devastating attack. According to Budanov, the brigades launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at residential areas in the northern Ukrainian city during the morning service, targeting civilians as they left church or walked home.
In a message on Telegram, Budanov wrote: “Another war crime of Russia — ballistic strike on Sumy, killing of Ukrainian civilians. Many people went to church on Palm Sunday, some were returning home.”
Missiles Launched from Russian Territory
Ukrainian intelligence reports that the missiles were fired from Russia’s Voronezh and Kursk oblasts, specifically from Liski and Lezhenski settlements, marking a clear cross-border offensive. The use of cluster munitions—banned in many countries due to their wide-area impact and long-term danger—has also been confirmed by Ukrainian officials and international observers.
Presidential Office Head Andrii Yermak and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink both condemned the use of cluster weapons in civilian zones. “The deliberate use of these indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas is a grave breach of international humanitarian law,” Brink said in a statement.
International Condemnation Mounts
The attack, one of the deadliest this year, has sparked widespread condemnation from leaders across the world. Human rights groups, NATO officials, and EU representatives have labeled the strike a war crime, demanding accountability for both military and political figures involved.
“The intentional targeting of civilians, especially during a religious holiday, is not only cruel but a blatant violation of the laws of war,” said a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Justice for the Victims
Budanov emphasized that Ukraine is gathering evidence for future war crime tribunals and vowed that “no war criminal — from those who gave the orders to those who launched the missiles — will escape retribution.”
Emergency workers continue to comb through the rubble in Sumy’s city center, where homes, businesses, and public infrastructure were reduced to ruins. With 117 people wounded, many in critical condition, officials fear the death toll may rise.
The attack has renewed calls from Kyiv for enhanced Western support, including advanced air defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities from similar attacks.
As funerals begin for the victims, including children killed in the blasts, Sumy grieves—and Ukraine demands justice.
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