The bomb hit the university grounds shortly after 9 p.m., damaging facades, windows and doors at several buildings and knocking down trees across the campus, Suspilne Sumy reported on Sept. 21. No one was injured in the strike, acting Sumy Mayor Artem Kobzar said.
Sumy State University also published photos showing the aftermath of the attack.
“Russian forces are once again deliberately striking civilian infrastructure and educational spaces,” the university said. “The extent of the damage is currently being assessed and the consequences of the attack are being addressed.”
University employees and volunteers began clearing broken glass and debris from the campus on the morning of Sept. 21.
The Sept. 20 attack was the latest in a series of Russian strikes to damage Sumy State University since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
On Sept. 3, 2024, a Russian airstrike heavily damaged the university’s Mechanical Engineering Building, known as the M Building. The university reported at the time that no one was killed or injured.
The university was struck again on April 13, 2025, when two Russian ballistic missiles hit central Sumy on Palm Sunday.
The attack killed 35 people and damaged several university facilities. Sumy State University’s Congress Center was destroyed, while Academic Building No. 2 and other facilities sustained significant damage. Two students from the university’s Medical Institute were among those killed.
Another major attack followed on Aug. 17-18, 2025. A ballistic missile damaged the university’s main building, and subsequent drone strikes destroyed its N Building and damaged other facilities.
“We will rebuild the walls. But the enemy will never destroy our resilience and unity,” Sumy State University said following the latest attack.
Russian attack also damages historic university building in Zaporizhzhya
Russian forces also struck Zaporizhzhya National University overnight on Sept. 21.
A drone hit Academic Building No. 3, the university’s oldest building, triggering a major fire and severely damaging the historic structure. The former women’s gymnasium was built in 1902-1903 and is a protected architectural landmark.
Two apartment buildings and a shopping center were also damaged in the overnight attack on Zaporizhzhya, while five civilians were injured, regional authorities reported.