KYIV:
On Sunday, Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations over a strike on a school in the Ukrainian-occupied town of Sudzha, located in Russia’s Kursk region. At the same time, Kyiv reported that fresh missile and drone attacks in Ukraine had resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people.
The ongoing conflict, now nearly three years old, continues with no signs of resolution, despite promises from U.S. President Donald Trump to push for a ceasefire after taking office on January 20.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian attack on Saturday involved a guided aerial bomb targeting a former school building that was being used as a shelter for civilians in Sudzha. The strike killed four people, left four others severely wounded, and resulted in the rescue of 80 survivors from the rubble. Ukraine condemned the attack, stating, “Hitting civilians with bombs is a signature style of Russian criminals, even when those civilians are local residents.”
Russia, on the other hand, did not provide casualty figures but blamed Kyiv for the attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense called it a “crime with no forgiveness” and accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of committing another war crime by targeting the school with a missile strike.
Russian investigators have opened a criminal case against a Ukrainian commander they claim was responsible for the attack.
Sudzha, a town that had a population of approximately 6,000 before the conflict, was captured by Ukrainian forces during an operation in August that also saw the seizure of several villages in the Kursk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attack, sharing a video on social media that showed the heavily damaged building and a man lying wounded on the ground. Zelensky criticized Russia as being “devoid of civility,” and compared their tactics to those used against Ukrainian civilians, saying, “Russian bombs destroy Ukrainian homes the same way.”
Meanwhile, overnight missile strikes in central and eastern Ukraine killed at least 18 people. In the city of Poltava, a missile strike hit a residential building, killing 14 people, including two children. At least 17 others were injured as rescuers worked to pull survivors from the smouldering ruins of the building.
Poltava resident Olena Svyryd recounted the scene, saying, “On the fifth floor, a woman, my friend, was carried out,” as rescuers worked tirelessly to save those trapped in the debris.
