Bombing in Sudzha: Ukraine and Russia trade blame over tragedy
On Saturday evening, a bomb struck a boarding school in Sudzha, located in the Kursk region. Kyiv accuses Moscow of the attack, and Moscow accuses Kyiv. Four people were killed, and another four were seriously injured in the incident. There were 100 residents in the building, mainly seniors and people with disabilities.
Late Saturday afternoon, the Ukrainian military command reported that nearly a hundred people, including many elderly and disabled individuals, were trapped under the rubble after a Russian aerial bomb hit a boarding school in the occupied city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine later reported four deaths.
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack.
Attack on the school in Sudzha
According to the General Staff of Ukraine, as of 11:00 PM Eastern Time, debris removal efforts were still ongoing. Eighty-four civilians received medical assistance, with their condition described as stable. Four individuals were in critical condition, while four others had died.
The first report of the strike on the building in Sudzha came from the spokesperson of the temporary command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the occupied part of Russia's Kursk region, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivski.
"Today, February 1, 2025, at 6:54 PM Eastern Time, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched an attack on a boarding school in the city of Sudzha. Ninety-five people were trapped under the rubble. Cries and screams can be heard. Most of them are elderly and bedridden patients. The military command is currently conducting search and rescue operations,” said Dmytrashkivski in a recording published on the Facebook channel "TRO Media".
Later, a separate statement was issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It indicated that not only elderly people were in the building, but also women and children who were preparing for evacuation. The Ukrainian command emphasized that the Russian side was aware of their presence at this location. It was also added that the attack involved a guided aerial bomb.
"Activist" also wrote about the aerial attack
Many foreign media noted a post on the Telegram service by Volodymyr Synelnykov, describing himself as an "activist from Kursk". Citing an anonymous source at the scene, he also reported the use of an aerial bomb.
The time of the attack he provided matched exactly with the information from Synelnykov – 6:54 PM Eastern Time. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine indicated 5:54 PM; if it was given according to Kyiv time, it would mean consistency of both accounts, noted the Ukrainian section of the BBC.
A few hours after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video on social media showing a person on a stretcher and a wheelchair in the dark. Part of the video matched content previously released by the General Staff.
"This is how Russia wages war—Sudzha, Kursk region, Russian territory, a boarding school with civilians preparing to evacuate. A Russian aerial bomb. They destroyed the building even though dozens of civilians were there.," wrote Zelenskyy.
"This is how Russia waged war against Chechnya decades ago. They killed Syrians the same way. Russian bombs destroy Ukrainian homes the same way. And even against their own civilians, the Russian army uses similar tactics," he added.
Maps and cartographic data indicate that there was indeed a boarding school in Sudzha.
Russians claim they were HIMARS missiles
Initially, the Russian side did not issue any official statement. Russian pro-government channels and propaganda media began suggesting that the attack time allegedly coincided with missile threat warnings in the Kursk region and information about missile launches from the neighbouring Sumy region in Ukraine.
Late in the evening, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that Ukraine carried out a missile attack from the Sumy region on the city, which it controls. Russian military channels claim it was a HIMARS missile attack.
They also repeat false rhetoric about "using Western weapons against Russian citizens," supposedly justifying a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
"As always, numerous Russian channels accuse Ukraine of this attack. This time, they won't succeed! There is irrefutable evidence and objective surveillance results confirming that the attack was carried out by Russian tactical aviation. Here are screenshots from the 'Virage-tablet' system showing the flight trajectory of the Russian guided aerial bomb," declared the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian command in Sudzha had previously reported that the Russian civilian population in the area falls victim to Russian shelling, often resulting in fatalities.
source: BBC / TMT / PAP / Astra / Baza
