Ukraine has launched devastating set of revenge drone strikes on the Russian missile brigades responsible for the Palm Sunday attack on Sumy that killed 35 civilians.
The retaliatory strikes targeted the 448th and 112th missile brigades that carried out the deadly assault which also wounded 119 Ukrainian civilians.
Ukraine's Army General Staff confirmed Tuesday's attacks were acts of retribution against those involved in the 13 April 2025 missile strike.
Two children were among those killed in the Sumy massacre.
Firefighters work at the site of a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy region
Reuters
Ukrainian forces first struck the launch point of the 448th brigade in the Kursk region, triggering secondary explosions and a major inferno.
Officials said the drones "attacked a number of objects in the Kursk region associated with war criminals involved in the missile attack on the city of Sumy on April 13, 2025, and other war crimes."
Unconfirmed reports suggest Russian soldiers were injured in the revenge strike.
A Russian source said there was a "massive approach of drones" but troops "managed to jump out, run away."
Ukraine then launched a series of kamikaze planes on the 112th brigade in the Ivanovo region, creating a huge mushroom cloud over the Russian base.
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The Sumy strike was one of the most horrific attacks of the conflict
Reuters
At least five drones were unleashed, identified as An-196 Lyutiys capable of carrying explosive warheads weighing up to 60kg.
One of Ukraine's retaliatory drones bore a message for the attackers: "F***wits of the 112th, this is for Sumy."
Russia claims to have destroyed multiple drones around the 112th base.
The Sumy strike was one of the most horrific attacks of the conflict, with a colossal 21-ft missile slamming into the town centre as worshippers returned from church.
This was followed by another strike minutes later, which scattered cluster munitions amongst rescue workers for maximum casualties.
Ukraine and world leaders condemned the brutal assault as a "war crime".
Kremlin TV coldly branded the civilians killed in Sumy "collateral damage".
Russia's 112th missile brigade is accused of systematic "terror bombing" against Ukrainian civilians.
Ukraine and world leaders condemned the brutal assault as a 'war crime'
Reuters
While officially tasked with supporting Russian troops by targeting military objectives, they reportedly spearhead a campaign to spread fear amongst Ukraine's population.
In October 2023, the 112th was accused of firing an Iskander missile at a funeral in the village of Hroza, killing 59 mourners.
The brigade was also linked to an attack last July that destroyed a demining office in Kharkiv.
Separately, Putin's forces staged a major attack on Kherson on Wednesday, killing at least one person.
The head of the Kherson city military administration, Roman Mrochko, dramatically came under fire while making a statement about the city being attacked.
The US issued its sternest warning yet about the peace process, with State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declaring: "There will be no negotiations, no decisions, no agreements until this carnage stops."
