Putin Admits Strikes on Sumy and Kryvyi Rih Were Intentional

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that missile strikes on the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Kryvyi Rih were deliberate “acts of retaliation,” contradicting earlier statements by U.S. President Donald Trump.

A video of Putin’s remarks was published by Russian state news agency TASS.

“We are all well aware of the strike by our armed forces on the congress center, I believe, of Sumy University. Is it a civilian object? Yes. But there was an award ceremony there for those who committed crimes in the Kursk region — both members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalists. These are people we consider criminals, who deserved retribution for what they did in the border area, including in Kursk. They received that retribution,” the Russian dictator said.

Although he did not name Kryvyi Rih directly, the events he described match earlier official Russian propaganda statements about that specific strike.

“Or people who deserve the most serious punishment for crimes are holding some sort of gathering in a restaurant. That was also the case. They hold gatherings, meetings, conferences in a restaurant, they celebrate something, drink vodka, etc. That’s where the strike was also carried out,” he said.

Putin’s comments directly refute a statement made by Trump, who had described the strike on Kryvyi Rih as a mistake.

“I think it’s terrible. I’ve been told they were wrong. But I think it’s terrible. I think the whole war is a terrible thing,” Trump told reporters.

Strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy

On April 4, 2025, Russian forces launched an Iskander-M/KN-23 missile strike on a residential area in central Kryvyi Rih. The blast damaged apartment buildings, private homes, a restaurant, a playground, and a parking lot. Twenty-one people were killed, including nine children, and 75 others were injured, among them 12 children.

“At 6:49 p.m., a high-precision strike was carried out with a high-explosive missile at the site of a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors in a restaurant in the city of Kryvyi Rih. As a result of the strike, the enemy’s losses amounted to up to 85 servicemen and officers of foreign states, as well as up to 20 units of automotive equipment,” the Russian Defense Ministry said at the time.

In fact, a local beauty industry event had taken place at the nearby restaurant earlier that day. Surveillance footage later confirmed the venue was largely empty at the time of the strike.

On April 13, 2025, two Iskander-M/KN-23 missiles hit central Sumy. The attack occurred on Palm Sunday.

The first missile targeted the Congress Hall of Sumy State University. The second one— an area near the Ukrainian Academy of Banking that is 140 m near the University.

Thirty-five people were killed, including two children, and 127 others were injured, among them 18 children. Two Ukrainian servicemen driving past the site were also killed.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed it had struck the command center of the Siversk Operational and Tactical Group, killing over 60 Ukrainian servicemen.

Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must distinguish between military and civilian targets and may not carry out attacks that fail to do so. Regardless of whether any military personnel were present, both strikes are likely to qualify as war crimes under international law.