Sumy Missile Attack Traced to Russia’s 112th and 448th Brigades

Russian forces committed another war crime by launching a ballistic missile strike on the center of Sumy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported.

As of now, 31 people have been killed, including two children.

Ten children were among the wounded. All victims are receiving medical treatment.

Residential buildings and city infrastructure sustained significant damage.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russian troops from the 112th and 448th missile brigades executed the attack. The missiles were launched from Liski in Russia’s Voronezh region and Lezhenki in the Kursk region.

Preliminary assessments suggest that either Iskander-M missiles or North Korean-made KN-23s were used.

The exact type will be determined following technical analysis, as both systems are similar in size, weight, and characteristics.

“Our joint goal is to ensure that no war criminal—from those who gave the orders to those who launched the missiles—escapes accountability,” Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defense Intelligence, reported.

Scene of the strike in Sumy, April 13, 2025. Photo credits: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Targeting Russian Missile Personnel

Budanov’s comments follow previous Ukrainian operations targeting Russian personnel involved in missile strikes.

In early February, Ukrainian officials confirmed the death of Captain Konstantin Nagayko, commander of an Iskander missile battery allegedly involved in a strike that killed 59 civilians in the village of Hroza, Kharkiv region.

“Captain Konstantin Nagayko, battery commander in the 112th Missile Brigade (unit 03333) of the Russian Armed Forces and participant in ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine, including the mass killing in Hroza, has died,” Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported.

On January 3, 2025, an explosion was reported in the Russian city of Shuya, Ivanovo region. As a result, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Nagayko suffered multiple shrapnel wounds, including to the brain.

Weapons of terror

For more background on Russian missile systems used in strikes on Ukrainian territory, see related reports:

North Korea’s missile program with the support of the Russian Federation: a new threat to the US and its allies

Iskander SRBM: weapons of missile terror

North Korea Threat: Existing and Potential Ballistic Weapons in the Russian Arsenal