Sumy: two missiles on a Sunday morning

At about 10:15 on Palm Sunday two Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck the centre of Sumy, 30 km from the Russian border, as people walked past the university congress centre. The second fell as passers-by ran to help; a trolleybus full of passengers burned. 35 civilians were killed, two of them children. Russia said it had hit a 'command meeting' and killed 'over 60 servicemen'. A year later Ukraine charged eight officers.

Deadly ballistic strike on civilians in a city centre — recorded by HRMMU (31 killed verified by 24 Apr 2025); condemned by the Secretary-General Iskander strikes on city centres with a second missile on rescuers — pattern (Kryvyi Rih 4 Apr 2025, Sumy 13 Apr 2025) War crime causing death, by a group — position (Art. 438(2) CCU; eight officers charged 10 Apr 2026)

Russia said. Russian Ministry of Defence · official statement · 14 Apr 2025: “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, despite active electronic warfare, carried out a strike with two Iskander-M operational-tactical missiles on a location where a command meeting of the 'Siversk' operational-tactical group was taking place in the city of Sumy. Over 60 Ukrainian servicemen were eliminated.” — One serviceman identified among 35 dead. The dead were on a street and in a trolleybus; the UN verified 31 civilians killed by 24 Apr 2025. Ukrainian sources identify one military fatality. No name, image or document for the 'command meeting' or the 'over 60' has been produced.

Evidence held: HRMMU press release, 24 Apr 2025; UN Secretary-General via his Spokesperson, 13 Apr 2025; Sumy regional administration and Interior Ministry, 13–14 Apr 2025; HUR, 13 Apr 2025.

Photo & video · 6 photos

Burning cars in central Sumy after the strike, 13 April 2025

ДСНС України · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 7d33ea6ff1bc2b79… · 187 KB

Rescuers among damaged cars on the street

ДСНС України · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 14a1e756412ca41c… · 301 KB

The street in the city centre after the strike

ДСНС України · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 a02cbdd906f5cb45… · 435 KB

Rescuers at work

ДСНС України · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 43507a2cbd020c2d… · 315 KB

A building of Sumy State University, Petropavlivska Street 57, after the strike

National Police of Ukraine · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 0788bbd8b6a421af… · 258 KB

Destruction in central Sumy on the morning of Palm Sunday

National Police of Ukraine · 2025-04-13 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 6e2eaf80559f69c3… · 416 KB

Download pack (ZIP · 6 files)Openly licensed official material only; videos are linked to the official post. No image shows the dead; images of graphic aftermath are blurred until tapped and marked sensitive in the pack. This is not an evidence repository: originals are held by the Prosecutor General (warcrimes.gov.ua) and the ICC OTP.