Moscow/Kiev, 15 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The governor of Ukraine's Sumy region confirmed a gathering of military personnel in the city during a heavy Russian missile attack, stating it was not his initiative.

Governor Volodymyr Artyukh told the news website Suspilne on Monday that he was invited to the gathering.

Artyukh did not disclose who initiated the meeting, remarking, "That's another topic," when asked.

Following the missile attack on Sunday, authorities reported the death toll rose to 35, with approximately 120 more people injured.

A regional mayor and a member of parliament criticized the gathering of soldiers in a conference hall in central Sumy, near the Russian border, as it posed a potential target for Russian attacks and endangered civilians.

Russia claimed the missile strike targeted a military meeting of opposing commanders.

The Ministry of Defence in Moscow confirmed Ukrainian reports of a double strike using two Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated in Moscow that the Russian army only targets military or military-related sites.

Pictures from Sumy showed severe destruction at the university and in the surrounding area.

Four dead due to Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine

At least four people have been killed by Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, the authorities said on Monday evening.

Military governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that a man and a woman were killed by Russian artillery in the city of Kupiansk. The front line is approximately 6 kilometres north-east of the city.

Additionally, Syniehubov said that shells from Russian multiple rocket launchers killed a woman and a man in the settlement of Shevchenkove, west of Kupiansk.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for over three years.

Sumy attack prompts international outrage

Western politicians condemned the attack on Sumy, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas describing it on X as a "horrific example of Russia intensifying attacks while Ukraine has accepted an unconditional ceasefire."

On the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, Kallas said, "I think the message is very clear: We need to do more so that Ukraine can defend itself and the civilians don't have to die."

Germany's incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing a grave war crime, emphasizing that a second wave of missiles reportedly struck as rescuers were helping the wounded.

"This is the height of perfidy," he told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday. "It was a deliberate and calculated war crime."

The conservative politician said the Ukrainian military needs to come out on the defensive and suggested that destroying the Russian bridge to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea could help Kiev's war effort.

Merz also reiterated his long-standing support for supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, provided such action is coordinated with European allies.

Acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the Russian missile attack on Sumy.

Merz sparks anger in Moscow

While European politicians welcomed Merz's remarks about Germany's Taurus missiles, his comments about the Crimean bridge drew fierce condemnation from Moscow.

"Think twice, Nazi!" former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev wrote on X on Monday.

"Fritz Merz is haunted by the memory of his father, who served in Hitler's Wehrmacht," Medvedev wrote, using the diminutive form of Merz's first name.

Medevedev, who now serves as the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, accused the conservative politician of seeking to escalate the war in Ukraine.

Kiev has repeatedly stated that it wants to bomb the bridge, a move that Moscow has warned against.

Russia calls energy ceasefire into question

Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on Monday that Russia intends to complain to Washington about alleged violations by Ukraine of a ban on reciprocal attacks on energy facilities.

A 30-day moratorium on such attacks expires on April 16, Peskov said, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. He said Ukraine had clearly violated the measure.

"Of course, you have to analyse these 30 days, exchange information and considerations with the Americans," Peskov said.

The Russian president would then have to decide whether Moscow would adhere to the partial ceasefire beyond that day, he added.

Following a telephone conversation between Putin and US President Donald Trump on March 18, the Kremlin announced that Russia would respect a 30-day freeze on mutual attacks on energy facilities.

Ukraine also agreed but demanded that the exact dates and a list of targets excluded from attacks be specified.

Since then, both sides have accused each other of violating the moratorium on an almost daily basis.

Russia and Ukraine exchange drone attacks

In the early hours of Monday, Russian drones caused damage in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa – where several people were injured - Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The Russian military in turn said it had repelled 52 Ukrainian combat drones during the night.

Photo: EPA