Russia says Sumy strike hit commanders

Moscow [Russia], April 15: Russia's Defence Ministry on Monday said the airstrike on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy was an attack on a meeting of Ukrainian commanders.
It said in a statement that more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed by two ballistic Iskander-M missiles, confirming earlier Ukrainian reports of a double strike.
The strike on Sumy city centre on Sunday morning killed at least 34 people, including two children, and injured 117, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainian side gave no indication of a meeting of commanders. As a rule, the Ukrainian military does not provide information about its losses.
Pictures from Sumy showed severe destruction at the university and in the surrounding area.
Attack prompts international outrage Western politicians condemned the attack, 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.
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 Dmitry 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.
Source: Qatar Tribune