Russia kills child, 12, in attack on village in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, another teenager fights for life
A Russian strike killed a 12-year-old boy and injured a teenager in the Svesa hromada – a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements – in Sumy Oblast, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration.
Russia attacked the Svesa hromada at around 14:30 on August 2, 2025, affecting two boys who were near the scene.
“A 12-year-old boy died before medics arrived. Medical teams injured a 13-year-old and took him to the hospital with shrapnel wounds. Doctors are currently fighting to save his life,” the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The Sumy Oblast has constantly suffered from Russian shelling since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian troops struck a bus carrying civilians in the Sumy Oblast on July 27, killing three and injuring 19 passengers.
On May 28, 2025, as reported by the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, the Russian military killed a 74-year-old woman when they struck the Esman hromada with guided aerial bombs. Russians killed a resident in that attack. Rescue workers retrieved the body of a 74-year-old woman from under the rubble of a destroyed house.
On May 27, Russians injured nine people in this oblast: four in the Yunakivka hromada, three in the Okhtyrka hromada, and two more in the Krasnopillia hromada.
A Russian attack on the village of Kindrativka also killed a 48-year-old man and injured another 52-year-old civilian on May 25. The attack injured another civilian, though medical teams cannot hospitalize him due to the threat of more strikes.
Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, reported that after the attack, due to the threat of repeat strikes, medical teams were unable to get the injured man to the hospital.
Hryhorov reported that in total, 23 people were killed and more than 140 were injured in the Sumy Oblast during the month of July as a result of attacks by the Russian army.
Authorities identified a total of 2,700 enemy attacks in the Oblast throughout July. The attacks included more than 800 strikes with guided aerial bombs, over 250 strikes by attack UAVs, and 52 missile strikes.
Earlier, Bohdan Bernatskyy, a member of the Sanctions Policy Working Group of the Crimean Platform Expert Network, revealed at the Third Parliamentary Summit in Latvia that over 1,300 Russian military companies and 2 million industrial workers continue to operate, many without international restrictions.
As is known, including China, North Korea, India, and Brazil, assist Moscow in killing citizens of Ukraine in Russia’s war, including funding the Russian budget through trade.
Previously, Reuters reported that Russian energy giant Gazprom’s average daily natural gas supplies to Europe increased by 37% in July from a month earlier, when maintenance work reduced them.
The New York Times reported that Indian officials have affirmed their intention to continue purchasing discounted crude oil from Russia despite recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding financial penalties for trading with the aggressor state.
Meanwhile, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin made his first public comments in Russia’s Valaam Island regarding talks to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the ultimatum that US President Donald Trump issued.
Accused of a war crime by the International Criminal Court, Putin addressed his comments to those who are “disappointed” with Russia’s policies, without directly naming Trump or anyone else. He stated that, as for any disappointment felt by anyone, all disappointment stems from excessive expectations.
Putin also has declared that his ultimatum to Ukraine, outlined in the summer of 2024, remains unchanged.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Moscow to move beyond exchanging statements and holding technical-level meetings and engage in leader-level dialogue.
Zelenskyy also noted that Ukrainian authorities acknowledge and support US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war, stop the killings, and achieve a dignified and lasting peace.
“We have heard the statements coming out of Russia. If these are signals of a genuine willingness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace – and not merely an attempt to buy more time for war or delay sanctions – then Ukraine once again reaffirms its readiness to meet at the level of leaders at any time. We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this, too. Ukraine calls for moving beyond the exchange of statements and technical-level meetings to talks between leaders. The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness.”
“We are grateful to everyone around the world who supports peace efforts and helps us protect lives,” the Ukrainian president said.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated in an interview with The Guardian that he does not believe that Putin is currently ready for serious negotiations on peace in Ukraine. Putin still has maximalist and imperialist ambitions.
