Ukraine’s security services said they have identified senior Russian military commanders and collected evidence against them over a missile strike on April 13, 2025. The attack killed 35 people, including two children, and injured 125 others, among them 22 minors.
About 100 civilian infrastructure sites were destroyed or damaged, including apartment buildings, educational institutions, shops, public transport and locally significant architectural landmarks.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the strike was initiated by Col. Gen. Oleksii Kim, first deputy commander of the joint grouping of troops, and his deputy, intelligence chief Col. Vasyl Solovyov.
On Kim’s orders, preparations for the missile strike were carried out by officials from the Center for Planning and Coordination of Fire Damage of the joint grouping of troops, including:
Vice Adm. Serhii Pinchuk, head of the center and deputy commander for fire damage;
Col. Oleksandr Kysedobrev, head of missile troops and artillery at the center;
Rear Adm. Oleksii Petrushyn, head of the intelligence management center (enemy fire damage);
Col. Anatolii Horodetskyi, chief of staff of the center and deputy head of missile troops and artillery.
Orders to launch the ballistic missiles from Russia’s Kursk and Voronezh oblasts were directly given by:
Col. Roman Polushyn, commander of the 448th Missile Brigade;
Col. Serhii Ponomaryov, commander of the 112th Missile Brigade.
Based on the collected evidence, SBU investigators have issued in absentia notices of suspicion to the Russian officers on charges of war crimes resulting in deaths, committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy.
Missile strike on Sumy on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025
On Sunday, April 13, 2025, Russian forces attacked Sumy with ballistic missiles.
“Enemy missiles struck an ordinary city street, ordinary life: homes, educational institutions, cars on the street … and this on a day when people go to church — Palm Sunday, the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, reacting to the tragedy.
Military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said Russia struck the city with two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. According to him, the attack was carried out by crews of the 112th and 448th missile brigades from Russia’s Voronezh Oblast (Liski) and Kursk Oblast (Lezhenky).