Russian President Vladimir Putin provided his assessment of the missile strikes carried out by Russian forces on the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Kryvyi Rih. A video recording of his comments was shared by Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin. In his statement, Putin emphasized that these targets were civilian objects, raising questions about the nature and objectives of the Russian strikes.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Putin’s Comments on the Strikes and Their Motives
According to the Russian leader, the missile attacks were aimed at facilities where, in his opinion, Ukrainian military personnel or individuals involved in crimes in Kursk could be gathering. “We all know well about the attack by our military forces on the congress center, I believe, of Sumy University. Is this a civilian object or not? Civilian. But there was an award ceremony for those who committed crimes in Kursk,” Putin stated, adding that the targets of this operation were “criminals who must receive their just punishment.”
He also mentioned the target of the strike on a children’s playground in Kryvyi Rih, which, according to him, could have been misunderstood by the Ukrainian side. “Or those people who deserve the harshest punishment for their crimes are gathering in a restaurant. That was the case in the restaurant too. Meetings, gatherings, conferences are held in restaurants, they are celebrating something, drinking vodka, and so on. Well, there was also a strike there,” Putin explained, emphasizing that the target was military, not civilian.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the target of the strike in Kryvyi Rih was indeed a military target—a restaurant where Ukrainian military personnel were allegedly gathering. However, this version lacks confirmation. According to official information from Ukraine, the shelling resulted in the deaths of 20 people, including nine children.
Shelling of Sumy and Its Consequences
On April 13, Russian military forces launched a missile strike on the center of Sumy with two Iskander-M missiles. According to Russian military sources, as a result of the shelling, over 60 Ukrainian servicemen were destroyed. The Ukrainian side reported 35 civilian casualties, including two children. At the same time, Ukrainian sources noted that an award ceremony for military personnel was taking place in the city during the shelling, but there is no confirmation that they were harmed as a result.